United News of Bangladesh

China is deeply concerned about the sustained regional tensions in the Middle East, and opposes attacks on civilian targets such as civil aviation airports, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday. China calls on relevant parties to resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiation to help restore peace and tranquility in the Middle East at an early date, he added. Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on new attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi group. The Houthis claimed on Tuesday that it had launched attacks on multiple targets in Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles and drones, including the Saudi Defense Ministry and Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia.  

At least 10 people were killed when two high-speed trains collided in central Spain on Wednesday, Spanish media reported. The accident occurred in the morning in the province of Toledo, according to Spain’s rail infrastructure operator ADIF. Rail services between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia have been suspended. Manuel Galán, mayor of the nearby town of Urda, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE that passengers were injured and civil protection authorities had asked the town to prepare a sports pavilion to assist those affected. TVE reported that the two trains were travelling in the same direction when one struck the rear of the other, causing two carriages to derail. Jesús Pérez, mayor of the nearby village of Los Yébenes, described the accident as apparently serious. Emiliano García-Page, president of the Castilla-La Mancha region, said on X that he was heading to the crash site. The accident comes after a train crash in southern Spain in January that killed 45 people when a train derailed and struck an oncoming train. It was the country’s deadliest rail disaster since a 2013 crash that killed 80 people and raised concerns over the safety of Spain’s extensive high-speed rail network.

Israel's national election produced no clear winner, according to exit polls, as votes continued to be counted early Wednesday, raising the prospect of weeks of negotiations to form a governing coalition. The inconclusive outcome leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in place as caretaker head of government while political parties attempt to secure the parliamentary majority needed to establish a new administration. Exit polls released by major Israeli television stations after voting ended on Tuesday and revised overnight indicated that neither Netanyahu's political bloc nor the alliance led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot had secured the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Israeli voters elect political parties rather than a prime minister directly, and parties must form alliances to achieve a parliamentary majority. No single party has ever won an outright majority. The election took place amid deep divisions over Netanyahu's leadership and the continuing impact of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the subsequent wars across the Middle East. 60% of votes countedOfficial figures released by Israel's Central Elections Committee on Wednesday morning showed Netanyahu's Likud party leading with 21.4% of the vote, followed by Eisenkot's Yashar party with 16.2%, with 60% of ballots counted. The figures did not yet establish how many parliamentary seats each party would ultimately secure. Strong Arab vote raises coalition questionsThe strong performance of Arab-led parties has emerged as a significant factor in the post-election political debate, as their support could prove decisive in forming a government. An analysis published by the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper described the outcome as a test for political groups that identify themselves as democratic. It warned that excluding Arab citizens from political participation despite their efforts to engage in the democratic process could undermine the future of the bloc presenting itself as democratic. President to choose government formation candidatePresident Isaac Herzog is expected to select the politician he believes has the best chance of forming a government. Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, the role becomes significant during coalition negotiations. The leader of the party winning the most votes is usually given the opportunity to form a government, although Herzog is not legally required to appoint Netanyahu even if Likud finishes first. Given the divisions surrounding Netanyahu's government, some Israelis may favour an alternative candidate during the coalition-building process. Military turnout reaches nearly 80%Israel's military reported a voter turnout of 79.9% among its personnel, more than six percentage points higher than in the previous election. Hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by military personnel were still awaiting counting. Some polling stations had been established in combat zones. Attack outside Israeli Embassy in SerbiaSeparately, Serbian police said an unidentified attacker armed with two knives assaulted a security guard outside Israel's Embassy in Belgrade early Wednesday and was shot dead. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the incident as a terrorist attack. Authorities raised the terror threat to its highest level and increased security at key locations. Dacic said the attacker was a minor who shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great,” during the assault. The police officer shot the assailant in self-defence and sustained minor injuries, he added. Trump says Netanyahu performed wellUS President Donald Trump rejected suggestions that Netanyahu was heading towards defeat, saying he had heard that the Israeli leader had performed well. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday after returning from campaign rallies in Texas, Trump said it was too early to draw firm conclusions. He added that he had not yet spoken with Netanyahu about the results. Trump endorsed Netanyahu late in the election campaign, while Netanyahu highlighted his close relationship with the White House in his election-night address. Netanyahu rules out government dependent on Arab partiesAddressing enthusiastic supporters in Jerusalem after 3am Wednesday, Netanyahu said exit polls suggested Likud would emerge as the largest party in the next parliament. He highlighted Israel's military achievements over the previous three years and pledged to complete the campaign against Iran's government. Netanyahu also declared that no government should be formed with the support of Arab parties. Their strong electoral performance could make them influential in coalition negotiations if the two main political blocs remain unable to secure a majority. Both camps celebrate despite uncertain outcomeSupporters at the headquarters of both Netanyahu and Eisenkot celebrated despite the inconclusive exit polls, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the next government's formation. Speaking in Tel Aviv early Wednesday, Eisenkot emphasised national unity and pledged to form a government, promising Israelis “a new era — an era of hope.” “Today, Israel went out to a referendum over the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years,” he told cheering supporters. “The people decided in favour of change.”Editorial note: The source contains several election-specific claims and developing figures. Verify the date, party names, official vote count and attribution before publication.

Global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide reached record levels in 2025, intensifying the risk of extreme weather and threatening economies and societies, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned. According to the agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the average global concentration of CO2 reached 426.8 parts per million (ppm) last year, equivalent to 153 percent of the pre-industrial level recorded in 1750. “Every additional part per million matters because it traps additional heat. In effect, we are supercharging the ocean and the atmosphere. That means that heat waves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for,” WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett told journalists in Geneva. Methane and nitrous oxide, the second and third most significant long-lived greenhouse gases generated by human activities, also recorded unprecedented concentrations in 2025. “Another year, another new record. Greenhouse gases are trapping an unprecedented amount of heat in the atmosphere, providing energy for more extreme weather and associated risks to our economies and societies,” Barrett said. She noted that the past 11 years had been the warmest on record and that the trend was expected to continue. As CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a long time, its effects on the global climate will persist for decades and even centuries. When the WMO first published the bulletin in 2004, the annual average CO2 concentration recorded by its Global Atmosphere Watch monitoring network stood at 377.5 ppm, compared with nearly 427 ppm today. El Niño accelerates the rise The rate of CO2 accumulation has tripled since the 1960s, rising from an annual average of 0.8 ppm to 2.4 ppm per year during the decade from 2011 to 2020. WMO senior scientific officer Oksana Tarasova said the exceptional 3.5 ppm increase recorded in 2023-2024 coincided with a strong El Niño event, which weakened the biosphere’s capacity to absorb carbon because of increased drought, drier vegetation and more wildfires. Although the annual rise slowed to 2.8 ppm between 2024 and 2025, Tarasova described it as a substantial addition of carbon to the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning. She warned that CO2 concentrations could rise further in 2026 because of continued fossil fuel use and the development of a powerful El Niño, which could weaken land-based carbon sinks, as happened in 2023-2024. Greenhouse gases drive greater warming The WMO bulletin measures the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rather than annual emissions. Around half of the CO2 emitted each year remains in the atmosphere, while the remainder is absorbed by land ecosystems and oceans. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Annual Greenhouse Gas Index shows that the warming effect of greenhouse gases on the climate increased by 56 percent between 1990 and 2025. CO2 accounted for about 81 percent of that increase, known as radiative forcing. Energy transition brings new concerns As countries shift towards cleaner energy systems, the WMO has called for close monitoring of two less abundant gases associated with electricity production and distribution: molecular hydrogen (H2) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). SF6, widely used to suppress electrical sparks in power distribution systems, has seen its use increase steadily over the past three decades alongside global electrification. The gas remains in the atmosphere for more than 1,000 years and has a 100-year global warming potential approximately 24,300 times that of CO2. The increase in atmospheric SF6 in 2025 was the highest on record, according to the bulletin. Meanwhile, atmospheric hydrogen concentrations rose by 5.3 percent between 2010 and 2024. Hydrogen is increasingly used for energy storage and in sectors that are difficult to decarbonise, including steelmaking and shipping. It also supports renewable energy systems, long-duration storage and transport. However, hydrogen leakage from production facilities, pipelines, storage tanks and fuel cells is emerging as a concern. Although hydrogen is not itself a greenhouse gas, it affects atmospheric chemistry and can contribute indirectly to global warming, the WMO said. The agency warned that hydrogen leakage and the long atmospheric lifetime of SF6 could undermine the climate benefits of the global energy transition. It stressed that continuous monitoring of the atmosphere is essential to identify, understand and prevent unintended consequences of changes in energy systems. The WMO publishes the bulletin to provide authoritative scientific evidence for negotiators attending the annual UN climate conference. The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, aims to translate climate commitments into concrete action.

Cyclone Arnab completed its landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday after a process lasting more than six hours, bringing heavy rainfall to parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in a bulletin issued at 9:50 am, said the very severe cyclonic storm had moved completely over land along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. At the time of the bulletin, the cyclone was located around 20 km east of Narsapur, 40 km south-southwest of Yanam, 60 km south-southwest of Kakinada and 90 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam. According to the IMD, Arnab crossed the coast with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 150 kmph. The system subsequently weakened into a severe cyclonic storm at 8:30 am. More Than 180,000 People EvacuatedThe cyclone brought heavy rainfall to several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, prompting authorities to evacuate more than 180,000 people ahead of its arrival. In Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam recorded the highest rainfall, receiving 315 mm up to 8:30 am. Vizianagaram recorded 301 mm, followed by Anakapalli with 275 mm, Srikakulam with 257 mm and Krishna with 223 mm. In Odisha, Koraput received 188 mm of rainfall, while Ganjam and Gajapati recorded 161 mm and 135 mm, respectively. Airlines cancelled flights to Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada on Wednesday amid the adverse weather conditions. No casualties had been reported in either state at the time of the report. However, electricity supplies were disrupted, trees were uprooted and some schools were closed. Several train services were also cancelled. Officials forecast that heavy rainfall would continue in affected areas on Wednesday and Thursday as the cyclone's impact persisted. How Cyclone Arnab Got Its NameBangladesh proposed the name Arnab, which is part of the official list of tropical cyclone names adopted in 2020 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones. The name is associated with the Bengali word for the ocean or sea. The regional naming list comprises 169 names contributed by 13 countries: Bangladesh, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Each country submitted 13 names. These names are used sequentially for tropical cyclones forming over the North Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Cyclone naming helps distinguish individual weather systems, improve public awareness and reduce confusion when multiple storms occur simultaneously.  Source: NDTV   

At least 20 Somali soldiers were killed in an ambush by Islamic extremist militants in southern Somalia, according to a military officer who survived the attack, while the government acknowledged damage to military vehicles but did not report any troop casualties. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group, which has been fighting Somalia's government for nearly two decades, claimed responsibility for Monday's attack near Jameeca village in the country's south. Somalia's Defence Ministry said government troops killed around 75 militants and wounded 56 others during hours of fighting. Al-Shabab, however, claimed that it had killed 321 soldiers and captured prisoners and military equipment. The casualty figures and claims about captured soldiers and equipment could not be independently verified. Abshir Abdikarim, a military officer travelling with the convoy, told The Associated Press by phone late Tuesday that he had seen at least 20 fellow soldiers dead following the attack. He said the troops had advanced from Leego to Jameeca in Burhakaba district of the Bay region, where they exchanged heavy gunfire with the militants. Some soldiers who had earlier been reported missing reached Baledogle on Tuesday, while others remained unaccounted for, he said. The Defence Ministry described the confrontation as an operation against militant positions, while al-Shabab said its fighters had ambushed a military convoy advancing into territory under its control. According to the ministry, the militants used vehicles loaded with explosives to attack army vehicles, damaging some of them. It did not specify the number of vehicles damaged or address claims that soldiers had been captured. Al-Shabab said it had seized Turkish-supplied armoured vehicles, armed pickup trucks, supply trucks, weapons and ammunition. African Union troops drove al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the group subsequently adapted its tactics, relying on guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings and targeted assassinations. Somali authorities have reported territorial gains in a US-backed military campaign against the militants, although restrictions on access have made it difficult to independently verify those claims. Al-Shabab has continued to operate across large areas of central and southern Somalia. The latest fighting comes amid a separate struggle for control of South West state. Government troops clashed last month near Baidoa with militias loyal to former regional President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, who resigned after federal forces seized the city in March. The Defence Ministry said government forces would continue targeting al-Shabab positions and disrupting efforts by the militants to regroup.

A US cruise ship offering a residential voyage around the world has suspended operations in Cambodia due to soaring fuel costs, leaving more than 200 passengers without their floating homes. The Odyssey began its three-year journey two years ago, offering residents the opportunity to live at sea while travelling across all seven continents. Florida-based operator Villa Vie Residences said monthly fuel costs per cabin, which historically averaged $1,800, had recently surged to an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia amid the war in Iran. The company said it had attempted to control expenses by reducing the ship's speed and extending its stays in ports, but these measures failed to offset the sharp increase in fuel prices. “We have been unable to continue carrying the resulting operating losses,” the company said in a statement, adding that transferring the full increase in costs to residents was not a practical option. It said its immediate priority was to support residents, crew members and employees while working to restructure its operations. According to a statement issued last week by Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the ship arrived on Oct. 23 for a five-day stay. Although it was scheduled to travel to Vietnam, it remained at the Cambodian port on Wednesday. The ship was carrying 203 passengers from 15 nationalities, most of them Americans, along with 156 crew members. It had accommodation for up to 650 residents. Passengers have been instructed to leave the vessel, while the status of the crew remained unclear. The Odyssey had a confirmed travel schedule extending through November 2027. Villa Vie Residences had also planned to launch a second residential cruise ship in early 2029, but its statement announcing the suspension did not clarify whether the plans for the second vessel would be affected.

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along India's Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday, bringing powerful winds and heavy rainfall after authorities evacuated nearly 89,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas. Prakhar Jain, head of the state's disaster management authority, said the cyclone had weakened slightly before landfall but continued to pack maximum winds of up to 185 kph (115 mph). Heavy to very heavy rainfall affected several coastal districts, disrupting normal life. Officials expected the storm to weaken further as it moved inland, with wind speeds forecast to drop to around 110 kph (68 mph) later in the day. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heavy rain and strong winds would continue in coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of neighbouring southern Odisha for the next four hours. “The tip of the system has already entered the land mass and the entire process will take around four hours,” IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. Cyclone Arnab intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm late Tuesday, bringing strong gusts and heavy rain to coastal areas as it moved across the Bay of Bengal. Authorities placed all coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh on high alert and evacuated residents from low-lying and flood-prone areas. Some train services were also cancelled as adverse weather conditions began affecting the coast. According to an official statement, at least 89,000 people had been evacuated in Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday. Jain said more than 2,000 cyclone shelters had been established across 20 districts, while emergency alerts were being sent to millions of mobile phone users, the Press Trust of India reported. Authorities also secured more than 30,000 fishing boats along the coast and deployed nearly 1,100 medical teams to provide emergency assistance. More than 12 million people live along the cyclone's projected path, according to the state's disaster management authority. In neighbouring Odisha, officials planned to evacuate around 48,000 people from areas expected to be affected by the storm.

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.