United News of Bangladesh

Philippine police are investigating the killing of an American marine biologist who was shot dead by three masked men who forced their way into his home in the central Philippines over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. Police said Kent Carpenter, 73, was at his house in the coastal town of Sibulan in Negros Oriental province with his Filipina companion on Sunday night when three men entered the home. According to police, citing Carpenter's companion, one of the intruders pulled out a gun and shot Carpenter in the head, killing him instantly. The attackers then fled with a laptop, an unspecified amount of cash and a backpack, national police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co told reporters. Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said Carpenter's companion sustained unspecified injuries during the incident and was receiving treatment. Investigators are working to determine the motive behind the killing and identify the suspects. Malong said Carpenter, a marine biologist, had served as a lecturer at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. He added that the U.S. Embassy in Manila had been informed of the incident. The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. "We assure the victim's family, the community and our foreign visitors that this case is being treated with utmost urgency and no effort will be spared until justice is served," regional police director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño said. Several environmental and biodiversity organisations in the Philippines expressed grief over Carpenter's death. Silliman University described Carpenter as an outstanding scientist who had collaborated with the institution on marine research and studies since 1976. "Dr. Carpenter made groundbreaking contributions that transformed global understanding of Philippine marine biodiversity," the university said.

Hundreds of firefighters continued battling two wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Tuesday after the blazes burned nearly 2,000 hectares (about 4,900 acres) and forced around 1,000 people to evacuate, local authorities said. Although larger wildfires have been affecting southern France, the Fontainebleau blaze is unusual because of its proximity to the densely populated region surrounding the French capital. Water-bombing aircraft repeatedly scooped water from the Seine River to fight the flames, marking the first time such planes have been deployed for firefighting operations in the Paris region, according to the regional fire chief. Smoke covered the treetops and lingered across the area as emergency crews worked to bring the fires under control. Authorities said no deaths or injuries had been reported. Four days after a devastating wildfire swept through a remote expatriate community in southern Spain, judicial authorities said they had identified 10 of the 13 victims through biological samples. Most of the victims were foreign nationals. They included five British citizens — among them a woman who later died in hospital — three Belgian nationals, one French woman and one Spanish citizen, according to a statement issued late Monday. Ten people are still missing. The Los Gallardos wildfire scorched about 70 square kilometres (27 square miles) of forest and farmland, covering an area larger than Manhattan. Spain is facing extreme heat, and combined with strong winds and limited rainfall, conditions have allowed small wildfires to spread rapidly. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended Tuesday's scheduled launch of a joint U.S.-Russian crew to the International Space Station (ISS), highlighting continued space cooperation between Washington and Moscow despite ongoing tensions over Russia's war in Ukraine. Isaacman's visit to the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan marked the first trip by a NASA chief to the facility in eight years. During a meeting with the crew on Monday, Isaacman thanked Russia's state space agency, Roscosmos, for its efforts in preparing the mission, saying the work carried out over the past several months demonstrated the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved. Ahead of the launch, Isaacman also met Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were set to lift off aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month mission aboard the ISS. The mission will be Menon's first journey to space, while it marks the second spaceflight for both Dubrov and Kikina. Once aboard the station, the three will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev. Former Cold War rivals, the United States and Russia have continued to cooperate on the ISS and other space activities despite strained relations following Russia's military action in Ukraine in 2022. The two countries have maintained crew exchange missions, with American and Russian astronauts flying aboard each other's spacecraft. However, broader space cooperation has stalled. Plans for possible Russian participation in NASA's Artemis lunar exploration programme have been abandoned, while Roscosmos has expanded cooperation with China on a planned lunar mission as Russia deepens economic and technological ties with Beijing amid Western sanctions.

Spain's famous San Fermin festival ended on Tuesday with two Spanish runners being gored during the eighth and final bull run. An 18-year-old man from Pamplona was gored in the thigh at the first bend of the route after a bull charged into a small group of runners. The animal knocked two men onto the cobblestone street and tossed another over its horns. A 46-year-old man from central Spain was gored in the chest near the end of the route, where the path narrows before entering the bullring. The bulls are later killed there by matadors during the day's bullfights. Both injured men were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Eight other runners, including an 86-year-old British man, received medical care for minor injuries. The six fighting bulls, accompanied by steers, completed the 875-metre route from the holding pen to the bullring in about two and a half minutes. Their speed often catches runners off guard, especially with more than a thousand people packed into the narrow streets. The last death during the San Fermin bull runs occurred in 2009. However, serious injuries, including gorings and broken bones, remain common as many first-time participants and foreign tourists join experienced local runners. Many injuries also happen when frightened runners fall. This year's San Fermin festival marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises, which helped bring the festival worldwide recognition.

At least 11 people, most of them women and children, were killed overnight after heavy rain caused the roof of a mud-brick house to collapse in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and rescue officials said Tuesday. The incident took place in Kohat district, said Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the provincial emergency service. Rescue teams recovered the bodies from the debris and handed them over to their families for burial, Faizi said. Meanwhile, heavy monsoon rain also battered the Gilgit-Baltistan region on Monday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads and damaged homes, according to regional emergency services. Authorities have advised tourists to avoid travelling to northern Pakistan because of the increased risk of landslides and flash floods. Pakistan experiences heavy monsoon rainfall every year, and the seasonal downpours often cause floods and landslides, leading to deaths and widespread destruction. In 2022, record monsoon rains and devastating floods submerged nearly one-third of the country, killing 1,739 people and causing an estimated $30 billion in losses.

The United States carried out fresh airstrikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that Washington was "reinstating" a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that other countries' ships could be charged for safe passage through the strategic waterway. Iran responded by launching attacks on Bahrain and Jordan and targeting two United Arab Emirates-linked oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks killed one sailor and injured eight others, while the UAE warned it could retaliate against Tehran, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. The latest escalation comes as the US and Iran struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route that has carried about one-fifth of the world's traded crude oil and natural gas during peacetime. Oil prices reacted quickly, with Brent crude rising above $84 a barrel in early Tuesday trading, its highest level in a month. Although still below the nearly $120 seen during the height of the conflict, the increase could push up energy costs worldwide. The renewed fighting has also further weakened a temporary ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. The two sides were nearly halfway through a 60-day period meant to produce a permanent agreement addressing Iran's disputed nuclear programme and other issues. According to the US military's Central Command, the strikes targeted Iranian coastal defence systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime facilities around Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chahbahar, Jask and Konarak. Iran confirmed that the areas had come under attack but did not immediately report casualties or damage. The US military said the operation was intended to reduce Iran's ability to attack civilians and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at the White House shortly after the strikes, Trump described the operation as "another major attack." "We're hitting them very hard. And it'll continue, and we'll see what happens," he told reporters. He also claimed the US was taking control of the strait and restoring the blockade. Trump also expanded on his earlier proposal to charge ships for using the Strait of Hormuz, marking a major shift from longstanding US policy supporting free navigation through international waterways without tolls. Such a move would challenge long-established international maritime practices and could further disrupt global trade and increase tensions in the region. Meanwhile, the UAE's Defence Ministry said Iran fired two cruise missiles at the oil tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah in the Strait of Hormuz. Both vessels caught fire, but the blazes were later brought under control. The UAE said one Indian sailor was killed while six Indian and two Ukrainian crew members were injured. Abu Dhabi warned that it reserved the right to respond. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the ships had ignored repeated warnings and entered what it described as a minefield. Bahrain also reported fresh Iranian missile attacks early Tuesday, sounding air raid sirens three times and urging residents to seek shelter. Jordan's military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles. The country hosts US military forces and has been targeted by Iran several times in recent days. Earlier Monday, Trump said the interim agreement reached with Iran last month had been designed to test Tehran's intentions, accusing the Iranian government of failing to honour its commitments. Iran, however, maintains that it has the right to regulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and potentially impose fees under the interim agreement, a claim rejected by Washington. The US military and the International Maritime Organization have tried to establish an alternative shipping route along Oman's coast outside Iranian control, but Iran has also attacked vessels using that route, prompting repeated US military responses and further exchanges of fire. On social media, Trump said the US was restoring the Iranian blockade while insisting that other countries would continue to have open access to the strait. He also proposed that the US recover security costs by collecting 20% of cargo values from commercial shipping, although no details were provided. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting the region, said there would be no fees for ships using the waterway. The US military said its blockade of Iranian ports would resume from midnight Wednesday local time in Dubai. Separately, Israeli and Lebanese delegations were scheduled to meet in Rome on Tuesday for US-mediated talks aimed at advancing a framework agreement announced last month. The deal calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, although implementation has stalled. A ceasefire remains in place in Lebanon, but uncertainty persists over whether it can survive if the conflict between the United States and Iran expands into a full-scale war.

Iran on Tuesday executed two members of the Islamic State (IS) group after they were convicted of armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic, according to state television. The executed men were identified as Mohieddin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani. State media said they were part of an IS cell established after the group's territorial collapse in Iraq and Syria and were allegedly plotting attacks inside Iran. Authorities said security forces uncovered the group's hideout in the Bamo mountain region near the Iraqi border before the planned attacks could be carried out. The operation left several militants dead, while others were arrested. Three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were also killed during the raid. Officials said security forces recovered weapons, ammunition and other military equipment from the hideout. The two men were sentenced to death after being found guilty of armed rebellion. Their executions were carried out by hanging after Iran's Supreme Court upheld the verdicts. The judiciary did not specify where the executions took place.

The death toll from a devastating fire at a music bar in Bangkok has risen to 30, while more than 70 people remain hospitalized, Thai authorities said on Tuesday. According to Bangkok city officials, 24 of the injured are in critical condition following the blaze, which broke out late Sunday at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar in the northern part of the Thai capital. Firefighters brought the fire under control after about 30 minutes, but the incident has become Bangkok's deadliest fire in nearly two decades. The venue, which describes itself as a brewery or beer hall, has a capacity of around 600 patrons, although authorities have not confirmed how many people were inside when the fire started. Police said many of the victims were found trapped inside windowless bathrooms, where they had apparently sought shelter from the flames. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and whether the establishment complied with safety regulations. On Tuesday, former customers, relatives and other mourners gathered at the site to pay tribute to the victims, leaving flowers and handwritten condolence messages in Thai and several other languages, including Korean. Burned musical instruments, charred chairs and other debris from the bar remained scattered around the area after being removed by investigators examining the scene.

Dozens of workers at an Ebola treatment center in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo launched a strike on Monday, protesting unpaid salaries and bonuses, adding fresh pressure to the country's rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak. The strike comes as Congo continues to battle an outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. Health authorities confirmed last week that the outbreak has spread to two additional provinces. The protesting workers at Rwampara General Hospital in Ituri province—the epicenter of the outbreak—include epidemiologists, case investigators, drivers and gravediggers. They accuse authorities of failing to pay them for the past two months. The demonstrators shut down the treatment center, blocked access roads and burned tires outside the facility in protest. "We don't know how it is possible to go unpaid for two months," one health worker said, adding that despite the protest, they do not want to abandon their work. The Rwampara facility is separate from another treatment center in Ituri where clinical trials of two experimental Ebola treatments began earlier this month. Congolese authorities officially declared the outbreak on May 15 after the virus had spread undetected for several weeks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the delay in confirming the outbreak was partly due to initial testing for a more common Ebola strain. During a recent visit to Ituri, Health Minister Roger Kamba said the government was reviewing payroll records after discovering that names of individuals not involved in the response had been added to payment lists. He said the verification process aims to ensure that frontline workers receive their due compensation while addressing complaints from those who have not been paid. According to Congolese health authorities, the outbreak has so far resulted in 1,926 confirmed cases, including 702 deaths. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a second American humanitarian worker infected with Ebola in eastern Congo had been transferred to Germany for treatment. The first infected American was a doctor working in Congo during the early stages of the outbreak.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they launched missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport on Monday, hours after blaming Saudi airstrikes for hitting Sanaa International Airport in a sharp escalation of tensions. No casualties were immediately reported from either attack. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group carried out the strike in retaliation for what it described as Saudi attacks on Sanaa airport. He also warned commercial airlines against using Saudi airspace until what he called the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the reported strikes. However, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, later said Saudi air defenses had intercepted ballistic missiles launched toward the kingdom's southern region without providing further details. Earlier in the day, Yemen's internationally recognized government said the strike on Sanaa airport was intended to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. Yemeni Defense Minister Gen. Taher al-Aqili said the airport runway was targeted to stop an Iranian plane from returning a Houthi delegation from Tehran following the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the Houthis, the Iranian aircraft was diverted to Hodeida Airport instead. The Yemeni government also announced the closure of all airports across the country until further notice and ordered the evacuation of Sanaa airport and surrounding areas. The Presidential Leadership Council said it had rejected Iran's request to allow a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Sanaa, accusing the Houthis of attempting to receive the aircraft outside established civil aviation procedures. The latest exchange marks the most serious confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since a UN-brokered truce took effect in 2022, ending years of frequent cross-border attacks. The developments prompted an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, where UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari warned against a renewed cycle of violence. "Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation," he said, urging all parties to return to negotiations under UN mediation. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg also voiced concern over the deteriorating situation and called for dialogue to preserve the relative calm that has largely held since 2022. Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.