United News of Bangladesh

US President Donald Trump said fresh talks aimed at ending the conflict with Iran would begin on Monday after he called off a new round of military strikes, although Iranian officials insisted their current diplomatic efforts are focused on neighbouring Oman rather than direct negotiations with Washington. Talks between the United States and Iran are seen as key to ending the months-long conflict and restoring normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that handled about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas before the war. However, Iran's Foreign Ministry said its current negotiations are with Oman and are limited to ensuring temporary safe navigation through the strategic strait. Trump, who has repeatedly alternated between threatening military action and offering diplomatic solutions, said Monday that "whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking." Meanwhile, Israel carried out fresh strikes across the Gaza Strip over the weekend, days after the US and Hamas announced they had reached an agreement for the militant group to disarm, a move seen as a possible step toward ending the war in Gaza. Hospitals in Gaza said at least 17 people, including children, were killed in the latest Israeli strikes. One attack on a residential building in southern Gaza killed three members of the same family, including a four-year-old child, according to Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted militants. Trump announces renewed diplomatic push Trump said on Sunday that he had decided against launching major strikes on Iran after appeals from Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. According to Trump, the US military had prepared what he described as "the biggest attack since World War II," but he chose to give diplomacy another opportunity after discussions with Gulf leaders and requests from unnamed Iranian officials. He did not disclose further details about the proposed talks or who would participate. Iran, however, denied holding negotiations with the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said ongoing discussions are only with Oman, across the Strait of Hormuz, and are focused on establishing a temporary maritime route for safe navigation. Trade data platform Kpler reported that nine vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with most using an Iranian-controlled route. Responding on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticised Iran's leadership, saying it was "unbelievably duplicitous" for publicly denying talks while allegedly requesting meetings. Iranian officials visit Iraq and Pakistan Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived Monday in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf to attend Arbaeen commemorations, one of the largest annual gatherings of Shiite Muslims. His visit comes as Iraq continues balancing relations between Iran and the United States, a task made more difficult following the US-Israel conflict with Iran earlier this year. At the same time, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Atabak travelled to Pakistan for talks expected to focus on easing transit bottlenecks and increasing the movement of Iranian cargo through Pakistani ports during the ongoing US naval blockade. During the two-day visit, Atabak is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Iran-Pakistan Joint Trade Committee and meet Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Syria, Iraq discuss regional security Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Iraqi Kurdish regional President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday to discuss strengthening cooperation and improving regional security. The meeting took place amid rising tensions following a series of drone attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups targeting US interests in Iraq, including the Kurdish region. Last month, Syrian authorities said they had intercepted an attempt to smuggle weapons across the Iraqi border that were allegedly destined for the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Hezbollah rejected the allegation. Iran executes two convicted of spying for Israel Iran's judiciary announced Monday that it had executed two men convicted of spying for Israel during both last year's 12-day conflict and the current war. State-run Mizan news agency identified them as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, saying they had supplied military coordinates, photographs and intelligence used in attacks on Iranian targets. The agency did not disclose where the executions took place. Last week, Iran also publicly executed two men convicted of killing four police officers during anti-government protests in January. Gaza heat worsens humanitarian crisis Extreme summer temperatures are making life even more difficult for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in makeshift tents across Gaza. The plastic-sheet shelters trap heat during the day and offer little ventilation, forcing many families to remain outdoors for long periods. Aid organisations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned that limited access to clean water, electricity and sanitation, combined with overcrowded camps, has increased the risk of dehydration, heat-related illnesses, skin infections and diarrhoeal diseases. "It's very hot. We can't stay inside the tents. Our tent is made of nylon," said Aida Abu Hadeesha, who was displaced from Rafah in southern Gaza. "There is no breeze, nothing, and our kids are suffering," she said, adding that the intense heat continues throughout the night while flies and cockroaches infest the camps.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday visited the earthquake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan as residents began clearing debris from damaged homes while facing scorching temperatures and ongoing water shortages. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu last Tuesday, killing 38 people, according to prefectural officials. Among the victims was a person who apparently died from heat stroke while sheltering inside a car. Authorities are still investigating the cause of another death. Residents placed piles of rubble, broken furniture and damaged household appliances outside their homes for collection. Construction of temporary housing also began in the towns of Uki and Hikawa for people displaced by the disaster. More than 46,000 households were still without running water on Monday, while many communities were also experiencing fuel shortages. The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast temperatures to approach 40 degrees Celsius, raising concerns over heat-related illnesses. More than 8,500 people remained in emergency shelters, including community centres, school gymnasiums and classrooms, many of which lack air conditioning. Others continued to stay in cars parked near town halls and parks or outside their damaged homes. Disaster experts have long warned that overcrowded shelters with limited sanitation and privacy can make conditions more difficult for displaced people. During her visit, Takaichi toured one of the area's better-equipped shelters, which had cardboard beds, partitions and air conditioning. However, the visit drew criticism on social media, with some users saying it did not reflect the conditions in most evacuation centres. Meanwhile, a local retailer acknowledged that it had instructed two employees, who later died in an explosion at a collapsed shopping mall, to return to the building to secure the day's sales proceeds. Executives of Habita, which operated a store inside the collapsed Aeon Mall in Kashima, attended the funeral wake of 22-year-old employee Kurumi Otake on Sunday and apologised to her family. Company sales manager Goji Yuse admitted the employees had been asked to return to the store if it was safe to place the money in a secure safe. "My daughter is not coming back," Otake's mother told company officials through tears. The mall operator believes the explosion was caused by a gas leak after about 3,000 shoppers had already been evacuated following the earthquake, though some employees remained inside the building. Rescue teams pulled five survivors from the rubble and recovered the bodies of seven others. Authorities said the earthquake injured 114 people, destroyed around 700 homes and damaged more than 11,300 buildings across Kumamoto Prefecture.

Ukrainian drone attacks killed at least five people in different parts of Russia and set fire to another warehouse belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, Russian officials said on Sunday, as both countries continued exchanging long-range drone strikes. Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone hit a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, about 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, causing a fire. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said there were no casualties. Wildberries, often compared to Amazon in Russia, has come under repeated Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks. Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have struck more than a dozen of the company's warehouses as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Russia's economy and logistics during the ongoing war. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence systems shot down 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, including some over Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. The ministry did not say how many drones Ukraine had launched or how many reached their targets. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 133 drones overnight, with 24 reaching their intended targets. In Russia's Saratov region, Governor Roman Busargin said two people were killed after a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building. The attack also damaged civilian infrastructure in the cities of Engels and Saratov. Engels is home to a major Russian military airbase, while Saratov has one of the country's large oil refineries. Both cities have been frequent targets of Ukrainian drone attacks. In Russia's Bashkortostan region, Governor Radiy Khabirov said air defences repelled a large-scale drone attack on industrial facilities in the city of Ufa. He said a fire broke out but did not specify which facility had been hit. In the Udmurt Republic, acting regional head Olga Abramova said three civilians were killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike. She said Russian air defences shot down two drones but a civilian vehicle was damaged during the attack. Meanwhile, Russian strikes also caused casualties in Ukraine. Authorities in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia said a Russian guided bomb hit a residential building, killing one person. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, another Russian attack killed one person and set a postal terminal on fire, according to regional officials. The latest attacks came as both Russia and Ukraine continued to intensify long-range drone and missile strikes deep inside each other's territory.

Esther Lutula stopped going for prenatal checkups shortly after the current Ebola outbreak was declared in eastern Congo. Midway into her pregnancy, the 26-year-old feared being put into isolation simply for having a fever, a common misconception. “That’s why I’m waiting until the disease is no longer widespread,” she told The Associated Press from her home in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and epicenter of the outbreak declared on May 15. But that could be a deadly mistake. Maternal mortality across Ituri soon doubled as news of the outbreak spread, with an average of about six women dying per week due to childbirth complication, according to Noemi Dalmonte, deputy country representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Congo. While there was an average of 3.1 maternal deaths weekly this year before the outbreak, that jumped to 5.8 deaths from May 25 to July 19. Among those, the deaths outside health centers have also jumped from 9.1% to 17.4% within the same period, UNFPA data shows. As Congo battles the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, with more than 1,600 confirmed deaths, health and aid workers are warning of a shadow crisis as pregnant women avoid hospitals and the country's already high maternal mortality rate climbs even more. While it’s common for Africans to avoid health centers during public health emergencies because of safety concerns, “with Ebola, it is stronger because Ebola has a lot of rumors," Dalmonte said in an interview. With some wary residents questioning whether Ebola even exists, and health workers in one of Congo’s most remote and volatile regions struggling to respond to the outbreak with few supplies, pregnant women have less care than ever. Congo is one of the world's most dangerous places to give birthCongo's has among the world's highest rates of both childbirths per woman and deaths around childbirth. Women in the vast central African nation have almost six children on average. At least 19,000 women died from pregnancy complications in Congo in 2023, according to the latest U.N. data, tied with India and second only to Nigeria globally. Now health workers in Ituri say they are seeing a decline in hospital visits as people worry about the risk of infection. This type of Ebola has no approved treatment or vaccine. Women in need of care also fear being caught up in violence. Ebola treatment centers have been attacked by residents fueled by misinformation or anger over strict outbreak measures. At the Bénédicte Clinic in Bunia, the number of women registered for prenatal care has dropped from 60 each month to around 10, said Dr. Sonny Mwembo, the medical director. Even now, weeks into efforts to battle misinformation, some residents hold mistaken views of the outbreak. “Right now, if you feel sick and go to the hospital, they say it’s Ebola and they put you in quarantine right away. That’s what scares people,” said Elodie Yabiri, a Bunia resident who is heavily pregnant. Yabiri said she’s avoiding hospitals as much as she can. As long as she still feels her unborn child moving, she believes everything is still okay. Limited health care pivots to Ebola instead The outbreak has strained Congo’s already overstretched healthcare system, complicating access for the pregnant women who still come for prenatal care or birth. Health facilities in the five affected provinces are redirecting staff and supplies to the response, reducing access to essential maternal care services, according to aid groups. At least 44 health infected workers have died. Many other health workers have walked off their jobs, protesting the lack of payment. At least 12 attacks have been recorded against health facilities and teams since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. “We are doing everything we can to make the public understand how dangerous this disease is. We are working day and night without being paid,” said Dr. Ghislain Maneba, an epidemiologist and community investigator in Ituri's Rwampara health zone. All women are at higher risk in this outbreak Ebola is rare but highly contagious and severe, often fatal. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen, and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. Women are usually the primary caregivers when a loved one becomes ill. Many are among frontline health workers in this outbreak as well. Associated Press journalists covering the outbreak have seen pregnant health workers among the responders. “It is very important that they know how to protect themselves, that they have the right information,” Dalmonte said. Pregnant women with Ebola are at an increased risk of problems including miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said in its clinical guidance. Meanwhile, pregnant women who delay care and avoid health facilities “could die not from Ebola itself but because the care that would have saved them was no longer accessible, trusted or safe,” Dalmonte said.

Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza. The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement. Spielman told The Associated Press that Israel's intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60% of the territory — before Hamas disarms. “Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” he said, referring to the Hamas militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. “Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” Spielman said. His comments come days after Hamas said that it would begin disarming as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago to end the nearly three-year-long conflict. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the conflict, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remain. Hamas says it's agreed to disarm but the process has obstacles Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave. Hamas disarming has been a sticking point and has deadlocked negotiations for months. In announcing the deal on social media on Thursday, Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.” A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the AP said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps. A process to decommission and store heavy weapons and to dismantle military production sites and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement. The areas Israel controls in Gaza have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory’s 2 million Palestinians are in the other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods. Israel appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with his far-right coalition partners urging him to keep up the pressure on Hamas and leave forces in Gaza, and opponents accusing him of failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities then, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with a punishing military offensive that has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which was part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities. Israel warns that Hamas is rearming While Spielman said Israel greatly appreciates Trump’s commitment to its security and to finding a durable resolution, the government's position on disarmament is based on detailed intelligence saying that Hamas continues to rearm, recruit fighters, and rebuild its military capabilities. The White House did not provide additional comments on Sunday, when asked specifically about Israel’s assessment that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military. U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on the disarmament agreement last week, said that Israel had been consulted at every step of the negotiations and was not being asked to do anything more than what it had committed to as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed last October. It's unclear what exactly Israel conveyed to the White House. Two people with knowledge of the deal told the AP that Israel had communicated its issues with it to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who's part of the Trump-led Board of Peace. One of them said that among the points Israel wanted was freedom to conduct military operations in Gaza. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the media. According to another person familiar with the deal, the Israelis raised two other issues: that Qatar and Turkey not be involved in verifying the stages of the agreement, and that Hamas’ weapons be destroyed after confiscation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Israel continues to strike Gaza Since the ceasefire was signed last October, Israel has continued striking Gaza, saying it’s targeting Hamas and its infrastructure. Local Gaza hospitals said at least 17 were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including children. A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three family members, including their 4-year-old child, according to Nasser hospital, where the bodies arrived. The Israeli military said the strikes had targeted militant operatives.

An Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off the main island of Java on Sunday, leaving at least five people dead and dozens missing as rescuers and passing vessels evacuated hundreds from the burning ship, officials said. The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was traveling from Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya in East Java to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, with 232 passengers, 39 crew members and 181 vehicles, mostly trucks, and an excavator, when the fire broke out between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. in waters off Sumenep regency, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas. The ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, reported the incident to the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour later, Basarnas said in a statement. It said the company received information from the ferry's captain that the vessel was on fire near the northern tip of Madura island, but contact was later lost. By 9:45 a.m., authorities determined the ferry was about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after communicating with the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3, which was unable to approach the burning vessel closely because it was carrying a flammable load. Footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed thick black smoke billowing from one side of the ferry and spreading across much of the ship while videos circulating on social media and messaging groups showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, could be seen clustered on the deck and upper sections of the vessel awaiting rescue, some jumping into the sea as orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel. The ferry was reported to be nearly engulfed by flames, with passengers gathered on the bridge and bow. A tugboat and another passing vessel moved in and began evacuating passengers shortly before 10 a.m., the statement said. By Sunday evening, several nearby vessels managed to rescue 227 passengers and crew and recovered five bodies. At least 39 people remained unaccounted for. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remained under investigation. Ahmad Abdul Karim, one of the survivors, said the fire appeared to have started from a truck on the lower vehicle deck. “Someone came up from the lower deck and told us there was a fire. When we went down to check, two vehicles were already burning," Karim said, "Fanned by the wind, the flames spread extremely quickly. In less than 30 minutes, everyone had been instructed to move to the bow of the ferry.” Search and rescue teams dispatched a rescue vessel from Surabaya, although officials estimated it would take about six hours to reach the scene. A rigid inflatable boat from the Sumenep rescue post was sent toward the location but later returned to shore because of rough seas and high waves. The Indonesian Navy also deployed a warship to assist. The 160 meters (525 feet) long and 25 meters (82 feet) wide ferry was built in Japan in 1992 and operated on the Osaka-Shinmoji route as the “Ferry Osaka” before being sold to Indonesia in 2015. It serves the Surabaya-Makassar route, a voyage that typically takes around 40 hours and is primarily used by domestic travelers and cargo transport between Java and Sulawesi. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, noting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar had asked the United States to call off planned strikes because "they think there's a deal." "There's a deal on (the Strait of) Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran," Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews. Claiming that Iran had also asked the United States to pull back the planned strikes, Trump said that "now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation." Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud spoke on the phone with Trump on Saturday and "expressed concern and asked for clarity" about the proposed plan of action against Iran, a U.S. official told news outlet Axios. Pakistan, Qatar, the UAE, Türkiye and other countries have also called on the United States and Iran to de-escalate tensions and avoid further conflict.    

A suicide bomber targeted protesters at an antimilitant rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, mostly civilians and police officers, and wounding more than two dozen others, officials said. The attack happened in Kabal, a town in Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, chanting anti-militant slogans and demanding peace, district police chief Omar Khan said. According to witnesses, shortly before the attack, speakers at the rally said ensuring security and eliminating militancy were the state’s responsibility. They also accused authorities of failing to act decisively against militants, saying residents wanted to live without fear after years of violence that devastated the region. Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial emergency service, said the attacker struck dozens of people who were chanting antimilitant slogans and demanding peace. Police official Omar Khan said at least nine civilians and five officers were among the dead. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life. In separate statements they offered condolences to the families of those killed, prayed for the recovery of the wounded and directed authorities to ensure the wounded receive the best possible medical treatment. Zardari and Sharif also said Pakistan’s fight against terrorism would continue until it is eradicated. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack. In a statement, he extending condolences to the families of those killed and prayers for the speedy recovery of the wounded. The Swat Valley was once a stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, before the Pakistani military launched a major operation in 2007 that drove them out and restored government control. However, militants have resurfaced in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in recent months, fueling fears that the Pakistani Taliban are seeking to regain a foothold in the region. In response, residents have repeatedly staged anti-Taliban rallies to protest the militants’ presence across the valley. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Many of its leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant attacks in recent years, particularly targeting police and security forces. On Friday, Pakistan's military spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan has recorded 3,145 “terrorism incidents” since January. He said Pakistan had killed 2,084 militants since January, while 819 Pakistanis, including soldiers, police officers and civilians, had been killed. Chaudhry also said Afghanistan-based militants had carried out 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January and alleged that most were carried out by Afghan nationals or people associated with Afghanistan’s security forces. He said the TTP and other militant groups were carrying out attacks inside Pakistan with the support of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and Pakistan would continue to target the TTP and its support infrastructure.

At least five people were killed and 41 others remained missing after a passenger ferry carrying 271 people caught fire off Indonesia's main island of Java on Sunday, officials said. The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi with 232 passengers and 39 crew members when the fire broke out between 6 am and 7 am in waters off Sumenep regency, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The ferry operator alerted rescuers about an hour later after receiving a distress report from the vessel's captain. However, communication with the ferry was later lost. Authorities located the burning ferry about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi Island. A nearby cargo ship was unable to get close because it was carrying flammable cargo. Videos released by rescuers and shared on social media showed thick black smoke and flames engulfing much of the ferry as frightened passengers wearing life jackets waited for help or jumped into the sea. A tugboat and other nearby vessels began rescuing passengers shortly before 10 am. By Sunday afternoon, rescuers and nearby ships had evacuated 225 passengers and crew members and recovered five bodies. At least 41 people were still unaccounted for. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remains under investigation. The National Search and Rescue Agency dispatched a rescue ship from Surabaya, while the Indonesian Navy sent a warship to assist in the operation. A rescue boat from Sumenep was forced to return because of rough seas and high waves. The 160-metre ferry operates on the Surabaya-Makassar route, a journey of around 40 hours that is widely used by domestic passengers and cargo transport. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferry services, although maritime accidents are frequent due to poor enforcement of safety regulations.

Flight attendants with WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, went on strike Sunday in a dispute over pay. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the 4,400cabin crew at the airline, announced the strike on its Facebook page. WestJet confirmed the strike and canceled more than 300 flights as of early Sunday, snarling travel plans in Canada in the middle of a three-day weekend. A key issue in the dispute was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said its staff was indeed compensated, citing pay through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate. “We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t accepted.” Alia Hussain, president of the union chapter that represents the cabin crew, said negotiators “tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do.” “WestJet’s offer did not go far enough," Hussain said. Both sides said they were willing to resume negotiations to reach an agreement. The airline said it could not operate any of its scheduled flights on Boeing 737s or 787s, and travelers will be refunded or reaccommodated. WestJet said it would contact people who reserved with them directly via email, while those who booked through a travel agent or third-party platform should reach out to them. WestJet Encore flights operated on a Q400, as well as code-share flights operated by airline partners, remain unaffected. Last summer, flight attendants at Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, stranded more than 100,000 travelers during peak travel season with a strike partly over the same issue of groundwork. That work stoppage lasted three days before the sides came to an agreement.