United News of Bangladesh

At least six people, including two women and a girl, were killed and 25 others injured after a passenger bus rammed into a roadside tree in India's central state of Chhattisgarh on Thursday. The accident took place within the jurisdiction of Kelhari Police Station in the Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) district while the bus was travelling from the Manendragarh area to Kelhari town at a high speed. More than 30 passengers were on board when the accident occurred, police said. According to police, the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into the tree. The death toll was feared to rise, as more than 15 of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

French authorities have imposed restrictions on demonstrations in several cities following a weekend of violent clashes and widespread looting, but dozens of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Thursday despite the restrictions. Organisers of the Paris protest said an administrative court overturned a police ban, though the ruling was not immediately made public. Police had justified the restriction by citing the risk of further violence after masked youths clashed with security forces, looted shops and set cars on fire over the weekend. French President Emmanuel Macron said the measures were intended to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings. He said demonstrations requested by groups without legitimate authority should be banned, while trade unions seeking permission to protest would be offered alternative routes. The restrictions on planned demonstrations in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble have raised concerns among some about the constitutional right to protest. Student organisations said they would continue their mobilisation despite the start of the autumn school break. Macron blamed the weekend violence on radical far-left groups seeking to undermine the Republic, as well as criminals who took advantage of the unrest to loot shops. The government has stepped up security measures, including night-time curfews in some areas of Paris and other cities where order has since been restored. The Paris restrictions covered areas around the presidential palace, parliament buildings, major railway stations and parts of the city centre badly affected by looting. Thursday’s demonstrations were seen as a prelude to a larger protest planned for Saturday, when activists from the Yellow Vest movement and the CGT labour union are expected to join. Authorities said some demonstrations, including marches in Lyon, would also be prohibited. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a large-scale security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a recurrence of the violence. Union representatives said the meeting produced no concrete proposals. They are now preparing for another day of action on November 5 and have urged public- and private-sector employees to participate. The protests began last month at a high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, over staff shortages before spreading to other suburbs and cities across France. Students have raised concerns over underfunded schools, deteriorating facilities and a lack of staff, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods. Some have also called for reforms to the university admissions system, which they consider complex and unfair. With the government struggling to address the students’ demands, the demonstrations have expanded into a broader movement over rising living costs, months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Turkey Thursday for a two-day visit-his first bilateral trip following July's NATO summit-seeking a strategic partnership and free-trade negotiations to reduce US dependence amid a trade war with Donald Trump. Carney will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before conferring with business groups in Istanbul. Discussions focus on energy, nuclear plants, sustainable mining, defense, aerospace, advanced tech, and critical minerals-sectors driving 50% trade growth over five years. Canada's Ambassador Marcel Lebleu told media the visit aims to launch a strategic partnership via a joint declaration. Improving ties follow Canada lifting its 2024 arms export ban, previously imposed over Turkish incursions in Syria and military support for Azerbaijan. Turkey also seeks a second Black Sea nuclear plant beside Russia's Rusatom project. Concurrently, Amnesty International urged Carney not to treat human rights as secondary. Director Ruhat Sena Aksenir highlighted Turkey's crackdown on dissent, detained journalists, LGBTQ defenders, opposition TV seizures, and the year-long imprisonment of Erdogan rival and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Erdogan's government maintains courts operate independently.

Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia have agreed to expand cooperation in defence manufacturing, technology sharing and military research as regional conflicts and uncertainty push countries to strengthen their own security capabilities. The four countries signed a memorandum of understanding in Doha on Wednesday, seeking to build on existing military partnerships through joint production, technology transfers and closer links between their defence supply chains. The agreement comes amid the prolonged US-Israeli war with Iran and growing concerns over dependence on Washington for security. However, analysts say the initiative is intended to diversify defence partnerships rather than replace existing alliances. Arda Mevlutoglu, a defence industry analyst and managing director of Mergen Analytical Strategies, said the initiative could help create a broader network of defence cooperation linking the Gulf with South and Southeast Asia. The Qatari Defence Ministry said the agreement, named the “Badr” memorandum, aims to strengthen defence manufacturing, improve military capabilities and promote technical training, research and development among the four countries. Under the arrangement, each country is expected to contribute its particular strengths. Turkiye would provide technological expertise and experience in defence manufacturing, while Pakistan and Indonesia could offer production facilities, skilled workers and domestic markets. Qatar would contribute investment and demand for military equipment. Experts say the partnership could help the countries jointly develop, manufacture and maintain defence systems, potentially reducing costs and creating jobs. Albert Vidal, a research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Pakistan and Indonesia were interested in purchasing Turkish weapons and producing some of them domestically. Such arrangements could benefit Turkish manufacturers while supporting local industries in the two countries, with Qatar providing financial support. The agreement builds on existing defence cooperation among the participants. Qatar and Turkiye signed a bilateral defence industry agreement in October 2025, while Pakistan and Turkiye have a joint naval shipbuilding project involving four vessels, two to be built in Istanbul and two at Karachi Shipyard. Indonesia and Turkiye are also jointly developing a tank. Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the latest initiative could bring separate defence projects under a more coordinated and reliable framework. Regional security concerns have increased amid the war involving Iran, attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels and reports of shortages in US weapons supplies. Analysts say these developments have encouraged countries to diversify suppliers and strengthen domestic production. Mevlutoglu, however, cautioned against viewing the agreement as a move away from the United States. Qatar is unlikely to abandon its strategic ties with Washington, while Turkiye seeks greater technological independence within NATO, he said. Bader Mousa Al-Saif, an associate fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme and an assistant professor at Kuwait University, said the initiative reflected growing interest among Gulf countries in cooperation with countries in the Global South and other Muslim-majority nations. The Doha agreement also follows a separate regional defence initiative. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, establishing a mutual defence commitment. Ankara submitted the agreement to its parliament for ratification on Wednesday. Unlike that agreement, which focuses on collective defence, the Doha memorandum centres on industrial and technological cooperation. Mevlutoglu said the two initiatives could complement each other by combining military cooperation with stronger regional defence production capabilities. Source: Al Jazeera

Seven oil tankers were damaged or caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday after being attacked or striking naval mines, Iranian state television reported, in what could be the highest number of vessels damaged in the strategic waterway in a single day since the Iran war began on February 28. According to a statement attributed to the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), four tankers carrying out oil transfers were targeted and caught fire, while three others were damaged and left immobilised after hitting naval mines. The report did not specify the vessels’ nationalities or provide information about possible casualties. Iranian state television also warned that the Revolutionary Guard could target US military bases in the region if Washington attempted to facilitate oil tanker movements through other parts of the strait. The IRGC has repeatedly targeted US bases in Gulf countries during the conflict. The reported incidents could not be independently verified. Yemen Warns Houthi Gatherings Could Become Military TargetsYemen’s Defence Ministry on Thursday warned that rallies and mobilisation activities organised by the Houthi movement would be treated as legitimate military targets, urging residents in areas controlled by the Iran-backed group not to participate. The warning, published on social media, marked a significant escalation in the government’s stance towards the Houthis and raised concerns about the safety of civilians living in areas under their control. Public rallies and what the Houthis describe as “cultural courses” are key elements of the group’s efforts to recruit supporters and fighters. The ministry alleged that the gatherings were being used to mobilise children for combat. Deliberate attacks against civilians may constitute war crimes under international law. Death Toll from Attack on Saudi Airport Rises to TwoThe death toll from an attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Airport has increased to two, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said Thursday. The victims were a Saudi citizen and an Indian national residing in the kingdom, according to an official statement. Eight other people were injured in the incident late Wednesday. Saudi authorities did not identify those responsible for the attack or disclose further details. Yemen’s Houthi rebels had not issued a statement on the incident. The airport, located in eastern Saudi Arabia near Bahrain and Qatar, has previously been targeted amid a broader campaign of Houthi missile and projectile attacks against major Saudi airports. Disabled Syrian Civilian Killed During Israeli RaidA civilian with special needs was killed during an Israeli military raid on the village of Jamla in Syria’s southern Daraa province on Thursday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The agency provided no further details about the circumstances of the death. The Israeli military had not immediately responded to a request for comment. Following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a rapid rebel offensive in December 2024, Israel took control of a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and has maintained its presence there. Although Jamla lies outside the Israeli-occupied zone, Israeli forces have frequently conducted incursions into neighbouring areas beyond it.

Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, overnight into Thursday killed one person and injured 22 others, Ukrainian authorities said, hours after Moscow agreed in principle to resume US-brokered peace talks. The attacks damaged residential buildings, transport infrastructure and other civilian facilities in several parts of the city, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. In the Dniprovskyi district on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, one person was killed and six others, including a child, were injured as fires broke out following the strikes. The bombardment came after Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed “in principle” to resume trilateral negotiations involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine after November 10, a week after the US midterm elections. Putin reached the understanding during a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg, Ushakov said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the prospect of renewed negotiations but expressed caution about their outcome. “We'll see what happens this time,” he said shortly before air raid alerts sounded across Kyiv.

Seven oil tankers were reportedly damaged or caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday after being attacked or striking naval mines, Iranian state television reported. If confirmed, the incident would mark the highest number of vessels damaged in the strategic waterway in a single day since the Iran war began on February 28, when the United States launched joint strikes against Iran. Citing a statement from the naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the report said four tankers caught fire after being targeted while transferring oil. Three other vessels were damaged and left immobilised after striking naval mines. The report did not provide details about possible casualties or identify the countries under whose flags the tankers were sailing. The IRGC Navy also warned that any US attempt to facilitate oil tanker movements through what it described as “illegal passages” in the strait could prompt a broader response, including attacks on US military bases across the region. Since the war began, the IRGC has repeatedly targeted US military bases in Gulf countries. The Strait of Hormuz is a key global energy shipping route, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Disruptions to shipping through the narrow waterway can affect international oil supplies and prices.

Authorities in South Korea's port city of Busan are exploring new ways to guide a large female dusky shark back to open water after it returned to a canal just hours after being led out. The 3-metre-long shark, nicknamed Bukangi, was moved out of the canal on Wednesday following weeks of rescue efforts. However, it swam back into the waterway later that night, prompting officials to plan another operation. Busan authorities and the country's Oceans and Fisheries Ministry say returning the shark to open water is essential for its health and safety. During Wednesday's operation, dozens of workers used a floating platform to guide the shark out of the canal. After remaining in nearby waters for several hours, it passed beneath a protective net attached to the platform and re-entered the waterway. Officials said Bukangi is now trapped between that net and another barrier about 50 metres inside the canal entrance. Rescuers and inspectors are discussing how to guide it out as it continues swimming around the confined area. Lee Gwang-seok, an official with the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry, said the shark was unlikely to move farther into the canal because of the dense nets and the narrow passage. Officials are also concerned about its health, saying there have been no clear signs that the shark has been feeding regularly during its month-long stay. Falling water temperatures could pose further risks. Authorities have yet to announce when the next rescue attempt will take place. Named after Busan's North Port, where it was first spotted in mid-September, Bukangi has become a popular attraction as it swims slowly through the canal with its fins visible above the water. Busan authorities have even adopted the shark as a city mascot, saying it has drawn more than 1.7 million visitors to the area. Hundreds of people gathered along the canal on Wednesday to watch the rescue operation. Wednesday's effort was the third attempt to free the shark. Previous operations on September 29 and October 2 failed after the shark avoided boats spraying water and swam over nets placed across the narrow waterway.

A man has been charged with threatening staff at an Australian lawmaker’s office with nunchucks, police said Thursday, days after another legislator was critically injured when a man allegedly struck her repeatedly with a car. The two incidents have heightened concerns about the safety of female politicians in Australia, where lawmakers are generally accessible to the public. Man charged after entering lawmaker’s office with nunchucks Police said a 56-year-old man entered the electorate office of Western Australian state government minister Hannah Beazley in suburban Perth on Wednesday, brandishing nunchucks and making verbal threats. Beazley was not in the office at the time. Nunchucks are martial arts weapons consisting of two sticks or rods connected by a rope or chain. The man was detained and charged with being armed in a manner that could cause fear and threatening to commit an unlawful act. He spent the night in police custody and was scheduled to appear before a court in Perth later Thursday, police said. Police have not alleged any connection between the incident and the case involving federal lawmaker Helen Haines, who was allegedly struck by a driver in the eastern state of Victoria on Monday. Haines’ alleged attacker, Brendan Nugent, appeared in court on Wednesday, facing charges of intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official. He did not enter pleas and remains in custody. Police are still investigating the motive for the alleged attack. Haines, a 65-year-old independent lawmaker, remained in critical condition at a Melbourne hospital on Thursday after surgeons amputated both her legs, according to a statement from the health department. Attacks raise concerns over tradition of accessible politicians The incidents involving Haines and Beazley have intensified concerns about the safety of female politicians, who make up an increasing proportion of lawmakers in Australian parliaments. Women account for just under half of the members of the federal Parliament, while a majority of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Cabinet members are women. Australian lawmakers are among the most accessible in the world, and political violence has traditionally been rare. However, concerns are growing that increasingly hostile public debate, fuelled by social media, is creating additional risks for elected women. Albanese said the threat against Beazley, coming so soon after the alleged attack on Haines, was “just heartbreaking”. Beazley is the daughter of Kim Beazley, a former federal colleague of the prime minister. “We can have debate and disagreement, but do it in a way without descending into the sort of violence that we have seen in too many parts of the world,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). “It's certainly not who we are as Australians,” he added. Earlier this week, Albanese attended an online security briefing for female lawmakers from his centre-left Labor Party, during which security agencies addressed misogynistic threats directed at them. Male and female federal lawmakers agree that women are bearing the brunt of online abuse. “Of course people are concerned. They're anxious,” Albanese said, adding that aggressive behaviour had become normalised in ways that were not seen a couple of decades ago. Beazley says staff shaken but safe Beazley said she was at the state Parliament when the man entered her electorate office and demanded to see her. She said two members of her staff had been “rattled” by the incident but remained safe behind a security screen. “We don't know his motives at all,” she told reporters on Wednesday. Governor-General Sam Mostyn, only the second woman to serve as the British monarch’s representative in Australia, said she had faced abuse on social media after speaking at a press conference on Wednesday alongside Haines’ husband, Phil Haines. “Like any woman who has stepped up into any position across any part of our society, there is a unique and pernicious form of attack that comes our way,” Mostyn told ABC. “Women across the country know that there are certain things that are reserved for women in that attack that go to our gender and they are often vicious and just despicable,” she added.

US President Donald Trump travelled to South Carolina on Wednesday to campaign for Senator Darline Graham, whose early struggles in her first election campaign since replacing her late brother have raised hopes among Democrats of challenging the Republicans’ long-standing dominance in the state. Trump, whose speech was repeatedly interrupted by protesters early on, sought to reassure voters that the late Senator Lindsey Graham had held his sister in high regard. “Everybody respects her. She's smart and incredible. She'll never let you down,” Trump said while making the case for her election. He also attacked Graham’s Democratic rival, paediatrician Annie Andrews, saying she would be “the most extreme and one of the most crazy people in the entire country. It would be a disaster.” The president initially focused on Republican attacks accusing Andrews of supporting gender-transition surgeries for transgender minors, a claim she denies. However, over the course of his hour-and-a-half speech, Trump moved between various topics, devoting relatively little time to South Carolina. He discussed renaming bodies of water, complained that he should have received the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, and imitated a female bodybuilder. He also highlighted some of his achievements since returning to office, including efforts to lower drug prices, and outlined future goals, such as expanding the use of the death penalty. Although South Carolina is not usually considered a battleground in midterm elections, Trump has invested heavily in Graham’s campaign. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham following his death in July and backed her in a special Republican primary against several more experienced candidates. However, tensions emerged between the president and the senator over the weekend after Trump decided to waive sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine that were due to be imposed under a law named after Lindsey Graham. Republicans are determined to prevent Andrews from pulling off an upset. More than $34 million has been poured into the race, with Republican groups portraying the Democratic candidate as a “radical liberal.” Trump is campaigning daily for candidates across the country this week, including in traditionally conservative areas, and urging voters to “pretend I'm on the ballot” to prevent weak Republican turnout in the midterms. “Darline Graham knows that our campaign's momentum is so strong she called Donald Trump to come campaign for her in South Carolina,” Andrews said in a fundraising appeal email. Darline Graham seeks to establish her political credentials Lindsey Graham had been on course to win a fifth term when he died of an aortic tear. Darline Graham, a former director of the state agency for the blind, received bipartisan support when she was appointed to complete her brother’s term. However, her decision to contest the seat in the midterm elections raised questions about whether she had enough political experience for the job. Trump endorsed Darline Graham and campaigned for her before a runoff against US Representative Ralph Norman. Her response to a question about US policy toward Taiwan, during which she acknowledged that she was “not that informed on national security,” further fuelled concerns about her preparedness. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a South Carolina native who spoke before Trump at Wednesday’s rally, said Graham shared the same hopes for America that had motivated her brother. “As long as Donald Trump is in the White House, and Darline Graham is in the Senate, we can all hope for a better country,” he said. At a weekend event in Mount Pleasant, supporter Nanette Tumbleston said she strongly wanted Graham to win, expressing concern about the consequences of Democrats gaining the seat. “I hope that everybody's eyes will be open and we'll have a Republican win,” Tumbleston said, adding that she feared the growing influence of progressives within the Democratic Party. “I just can't see how they can see that the world's going to be a better place with those policies,” she said. Andrews shifts focus from Lindsey Graham to his sister Andrews launched her campaign more than a year before Lindsey Graham’s death but later shifted her focus to criticising Darline Graham as “Trump-endorsed and unqualified.” The paediatrician argues that Republican policies have weakened the broader US economy and worsened the financial situation of children and families. Her campaign has centred on the promise of “building a South Carolina that we can all afford,” as she said last week in Columbia. As Andrews appeared to gain momentum this autumn, Republican groups poured millions of dollars into the race, describing the spending as insurance to protect Graham’s seat. Trump also attacked Andrews on social media, saying she did not represent “the Values of the Great People of South Carolina.” Some Andrews supporters acknowledged that Democrats could eventually make a breakthrough in the state, although they suggested it might take more time. Paul Davis, of Aiken, said people were increasingly angry and frustrated because they could no longer afford many things. However, he believed a Democratic victory “may be a cycle or two away.” Candidates question each other's qualifications During their only debate, Graham and Andrews disagreed on issues including healthcare but focused largely on questioning each other’s qualifications and experience. “It is nothing personal, but she has shown time and time again that she is not up for the job,” Andrews said, describing Graham’s interim appointment as “a nice gesture.” Graham argued that continuing to serve while coping with her brother’s death demonstrated her resilience. “I'm just as qualified as you are,” she said. At a rally in Columbia, some Andrews supporters expressed hope despite the Democrats’ repeated Senate election defeats in South Carolina. In 2020, Lindsey Graham defeated Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in a contest that became the most expensive election in the state’s history. “It's definitely frustrating,” said Emily Glenham, a copywriter from Columbia. “It's definitely been disappointing, but you can't not have hope.” Sandra Martin, of West Columbia, also said Andrews had “a good chance” but suggested Democrats might need more time to win. “Georgia did it,” she said. “If Georgia can do it, there's no reason we can't, someday.”