United News of Bangladesh

The U.S. military announced that it intercepted four Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and subsequently carried out strikes against several Iranian coastal radar installations. The actions have heightened concerns about the stability of an already fragile ceasefire as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Tehran. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the drones posed an immediate danger to maritime traffic in the region. In response, U.S. forces targeted radar facilities, including one located on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, to prevent further attacks. The U.S. has been enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports, citing Iran’s interference with shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and natural gas exports. The disruption has contributed to rising energy prices and created political challenges for President Donald Trump and his Republican allies ahead of congressional midterm elections. The incident marks the latest escalation in a series of exchanges between the two sides that have threatened ongoing efforts to preserve and extend the ceasefire. Earlier in the week, Iranian drones reportedly struck Kuwait’s main airport, causing significant damage to a passenger terminal, killing one person, injuring dozens, and temporarily shutting down operations. Despite the renewed tensions, President Trump expressed optimism, telling reporters in Wisconsin that developments involving Iran were progressing positively. He suggested that the situation could be resolved either through an agreement or through stronger measures if necessary. Negotiators from the United States and Iran recently reached a preliminary understanding to extend the ceasefire for another 60 days and resume discussions on Iran’s nuclear program. However, progress has stalled, with Trump seeking additional changes and Iranian officials yet to publicly endorse the arrangement. In an interview with NBC, Trump acknowledged that negotiations were taking time because of Iran’s strong sense of independence and national pride. He added that Tehran would eventually have to accept conditions it had previously resisted. Trump also claimed that Iran still retains roughly 21–22% of its missile stockpile. Meanwhile, the administration has highlighted a separate ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that was brokered by the United States. However, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group has rejected the deal, and renewed violence has raised doubts about its future. On Friday, Israeli forces carried out strikes across southern Lebanon and issued evacuation orders for nine villages, including one housing many displaced residents. Lebanese state media reported that nine people were killed in six separate locations. The Israeli military also reported that two soldiers were injured, one critically, during clashes with militants in the area. The ongoing conflict in Lebanon presents another obstacle to efforts aimed at ending hostilities involving Iran and restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has insisted that any long-term agreement must also address the situation in Lebanon. Separately, the U.S. military reported boarding a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean as part of efforts to limit Iranian oil revenues. Washington also announced additional sanctions targeting individuals, companies, and vessels associated with Iran’s energy sector.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to North Korea from Monday to Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country since June 2019, Chinese and North Korean state media announced on Friday. The visit comes as China seeks to strengthen ties with its nuclear-armed neighbor amid Pyongyang’s growing cooperation with Russia, including military support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Analysts say Beijing aims to reaffirm its influence over North Korea and protect its strategic interests in Northeast Asia. US journalist pleads guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the visit would promote bilateral relations and contribute to regional peace and stability, noting that cooperation between the two countries has continued to develop steadily. The announcement follows North Korea’s unveiling of a new facility believed to be a uranium enrichment plant. During a visit to the site, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to expand the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” Experts believe the disclosure was intended to reinforce North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s arrival. Analysts will closely watch whether China reiterates calls for denuclearization during the visit. The trip also follows Xi’s recent meetings in Beijing with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Germany suffered its first-ever defeat in a UN Security Council election on Wednesday, losing to Portugal and Austria in the race for non-permanent seats. Why did Europe's largest economy, which had successfully secured one of the Western European seats on the Security Council every eight years for decades, lose the election this time? Here is what we know. A QUICK DEFEAT Without going through multiple rounds of voting like Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines, Germany, a country that has long sought a permanent seat on the Security Council, was knocked out in the first round of the race in the group of Western European and Others. According to the election rules, candidates must secure a two-thirds majority of votes cast to win a seat. In the two-of-three competition, Portugal won 134 votes and Austria 131, both surpassing the required threshold, while Germany was eliminated with 104 votes. In a statement on Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated the successful competitors, emphasizing their close European partnership. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told public broadcaster ARD that the result was a "real disappointment." LATE AND VAGUE Wadephul mainly attributed the defeat to Germany's late entry into the race. He said Austria and Portugal received more votes primarily due to their earlier applications and the resulting commitments from other states. However, experts have also pointed to Germany's controversial diplomatic approaches, apart from its late campaigning, as key reasons for the failure. German magazine Der Spiegel said that many states apparently used the vote to document their displeasure with Germany's foreign policy in recent years, noting that Germany had long dodged whether the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela were a violation of international law. That ambiguity was probably one reason many states declined to back Germany's candidacy in the vote, the report said. Multiple German media outlets also said that Germany's close relationship with Israel may have cost it crucial votes. German broadcaster ZDF said critics have accused the German government of applying "double standards" to international law, particularly regarding its reluctance to explicitly condemn actions by Israel in Gaza, as well as actions by the United States and Israel against Iran. Germany's policy implementation was also questioned. "What was lacking was not ambition, but the ability to translate it into results. This runs through Germany's entire foreign and security policy," said Alexander Wolf, head of the capital office of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The Bundeswehr has not improved as much as promised, and strategic autonomy is discussed far more often than it is put into practice, according to Wolf. VOICES OF SMALLER COUNTRIES A key factor behind the success of the two European countries that outperformed Germany in the election was their commitment to multilateralism. "As a small country, Austria has made it credible to be the voice of small countries," said Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger when talking about the country's election victory. As a permanently neutral country, Austria has been an advocate of multilateralism in a world marked by ongoing conflicts. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said on Wednesday that Austria would steadfastly promote multilateralism in the UN Security Council based on international law and human rights. Regarding Portugal's victory, scholars generally view the election as the result of more than a decade of sustained diplomatic efforts rather than a short-term achievement. Daniel Cardoso, associate professor in the Department of International Relations at the Autonomous University of Lisbon, told local media that Portugal launched its campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2013 and maintained the effort through successive governments of different political orientations. Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said that one of Portugal's greatest strengths is its ability to "build bridges." As a member of both the EU and NATO, while maintaining close ties with the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, Africa, Latin America and Asia, Portugal is widely seen as a country capable of connecting different regions and political perspectives.  

An American journalist who has lived in China since 2010 and worked for several state media organizations there pleaded guilty in a U.S. court Thursday to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government, the Justice Department said. Thomas Pauken II is set to be sentenced Sept. 1 in a U.S. District Court and he faces up to 10 years in jail, the department said. He writes under the name Tom McGregor to distance himself from his father with the same name, who was a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party in the 1990s and ran for governor more than a decade ago. It is the latest in a string of cases that the federal government has brought against people suspected of working for the Chinese government without proper disclosure. Eileen Wang, a former mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed in May to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government. She was accused of doing the bidding of Chinese officials, including sharing articles favorable to Beijing. Linda Sun, a former aide to New York governors, was accused of selling her influence to the Chinese government. Sun pleaded not guilty to charges that she failed to register as an agent of a foreign government, conspired with her husband to launder money and helped people commit visa fraud to enter the U.S. illegally. A December trial ended in a mistrial when a federal jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Thursday by The Associated Press. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.” The IAEA warned that it was “unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities” that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is “indispensable and urgent” for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty. The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3. The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5%, a low level needed for power generation in such plants. The confidential report come as tensions have flared in the Middle East. Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport on Wednesday, killing one person, wounding dozens of others and briefly closing the airfield — the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire. According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warned in a recent AP interview. He added that it doesn’t mean that Iran has such a weapon. Such highly enriched nuclear material should normally be verified every month, according to the IAEA’s guidelines. The report said Grossi reiterates his "full support to the negotiations underway aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme, and his readiness … to support an eventual agreement.” Talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek a more enduring truce in the war, now in its fourth month. They are increasingly strained by Israel’s broadening war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Iran maintains its hold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world’s oil and natural gas and related products like fertilizer — and the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Global fuel prices remain high, and the effects of the conflict are felt well beyond the region.

At least four people were killed when a small aircraft crashed in Croatia on Thursday, according to police. The crash occurred near the town of Medulin on the Istria Peninsula, police said in a statement. Croatia's state-run HINA news agency reported that the aircraft was a German-registered plane that had departed from Austria before the accident. Images from the scene showed the wreckage scattered across a field, while police officers and firefighters were deployed to the crash site. Local pilot Nijaz Delic told the Index news portal that the aircraft appeared to spiral in the air before plunging to the ground. Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were on board the plane. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no further details were immediately available.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will bolster its air defense capabilities in response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks that have penetrated deep into Russian territory. Speaking during a meeting with heads of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin acknowledged that some Ukrainian drones had managed to evade Russia's air defense systems. "To our regret, some of them break through," Putin said, referring to the attacks on his hometown of St. Petersburg. He added that Russia's air defense network would be strengthened to better counter such threats. The remarks came a day after a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and also targeted a nearby naval facility. Putin also reiterated Moscow's readiness to seek a compromise on Ukraine based on understandings reached during his recent summit with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. He said Ukraine would need to accept those terms for any agreement to be reached. The Russian leader rejected suggestions that European Union countries could serve as mediators in peace negotiations, arguing that they could not be considered neutral parties. "Mediation assumes neutrality. Where is the neutrality here?" Putin said, adding that Russia could not place its trust in countries that had long advocated what he described as a strategic defeat of Russia. Commenting on Russia's use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, Putin said it had been launched against targets that allowed Russian forces to assess its capabilities and precision before any broader deployment. He also reaffirmed Moscow's objective of gaining full control over Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, noting that Kyiv still controls about 15 percent of the territory. According to Putin, Russian forces are continuing to advance along the entire front line, expressing confidence that what he described as the patriotism and determination of the Russian people would help achieve Russia's objectives in Ukraine.

Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Lebanese government, insisting on a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, as fresh Israeli strikes killed at least four people and a United Nations peacekeeper died in crossfire. In a televised statement, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem said the group's fighters would not leave southern Lebanon under fire, describing such a move as “surrender” and a victory for Israel. He reiterated that Hezbollah remains committed to resisting what it considers Israeli occupation and stressed that its priority is ending Israeli attacks, securing a ceasefire and ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. The latest developments threaten broader diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing regional conflict and restoring stability in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments. Iran has maintained that any lasting ceasefire arrangement must also include Lebanon, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that military operations will continue until Hezbollah no longer poses a security threat. Meanwhile, a Serbian peacekeeper serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and two others were wounded when a mortar struck their position near the southern town of Marjayoun. Authorities have not determined whether the shell was fired by Israeli forces or Hezbollah. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone strike killed a motorcyclist and wounded four others in Maaroub village. Separate airstrikes in Sohmor, located in the Bekaa Valley, reportedly killed three more people and injured several others. Additional Israeli strikes were reported across southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incidents but has repeatedly warned civilians to avoid areas where it says Hezbollah infrastructure is being targeted.

A complaint has been filed against former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her recent public remarks critical of constitutional institutions and “linking the Union government to a political killing in Bangladesh” were “prejudicial to the nation’s sovereignty and public order”. The complaint was filed on Wednesday by advocate Rinki Chatterjee Singh of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Siliguri, West Bengal, an official said. Rinki Singh said that the former West Bengal Chief Minister had, through “various public speeches, political platforms and media interactions”, allegedly made “provocative and inflammatory statements” against Constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission and the armed forces deployed during the recently-held Assembly elections, reports PTI. In her complaint, the advocate also claimed that Mamata Banerjee had “publicly questioned the integrity, neutrality and credibility” of such institutions, thereby “attempting to create public distrust and disaffection against the State machinery”. “Such allegations were allegedly made openly before the public and media with the apparent intention of lowering the image and credibility of the Union government before the international community and creating hostility between two sovereign nations,” the advocate said in the complaint. Rinki Singh also referred to a Trinamool event held at Rani Rashmoni Sarani in Kolkata on June 2, and claimed that Ms. Banerjee had stated that “she was privy to confidential discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and had linked the Government of India and the Union Home Minister to a political killing in neighbouring Bangladesh”. The complainant contended that the statements were made for “achieving political mileage and personal political advantage”, and prima facie amounted to “acts prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and international standing of India”. Advocte Singh said the remarks were capable of “inciting public disorder, communal unrest and disharmony among different groups”, and could adversely affect diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh. The Trinamool Congress is yet to respond to the allegations in the complaint.      

The manager of a care home in Sri Lanka was arrested on Thursday, a day after a fire at the facility killed at least 12 residents and left six others injured, officials said. The arrest came after forensic experts searched the burnt building and found seven more bodies, raising the death toll to 12. The fire broke out at the Maupiya Sewana Elders Home on Wednesday. An AFP photographer saw the manager, wearing handcuffs, being taken to the site as police questioned survivors and local residents. The facility housed elderly people as well as some young residents with mental health conditions. Police said the youngest victim was a 17-year-old boy. According to police spokesman Fredrick Wootler, 51 residents and staff members who were rescued from the fire have been moved to a nearby government-run facility. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the fire. Source: NDTV