United News of Bangladesh

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.

Iran's Acting Defense Minister Seyed Majid Ebn Al-Reza said Sunday that Tehran perceives every "enemy" threat as "real and noteworthy," rejecting any characterization of them as mere psychological warfare. "We will neither be surprised nor remain passive. We use threats as a basis to increase our preparedness, strengthen our deterrence, and develop our power," Al-Reza wrote on social media platform X after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that he had agreed to hold off fresh attacks against Iran. In his post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States was "locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II," but held off after being "asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries," citing a forthcoming deal that would include the "Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat." Earlier U.S. media reports had suggested U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure could begin over the weekend. Israel's Channel 12 news reported Sunday that Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has agreed to a Qatari-U.S.-brokered compromise deal allowing ships to enter the Gulf through the Iranian-controlled side and exit via Omani waters. However, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, citing a source close to the Iranian negotiating team, quickly rejected the claim. Fars also quoted a military source as saying that as long as the U.S. "hostile and malicious acts" continue, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, with vessels permitted to transit only via Iran-designated routes and with the coordination and permission of the Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps. The source warned that other routes are unsafe, adding that Iran's policies on the strategic waterway remain unchanged. Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory. During the past days, the U.S. military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping." Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in the region. 

A massive wildfire near Bordeaux that burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced around 224,000 people to evacuate remained contained on Sunday, although it was still burning. Meanwhile, a separate wildfire in the Provence region stopped spreading overnight but had not yet been brought under control. Around 3,000 firefighters were deployed across the two fire zones, working to extinguish hotspots, create firebreaks and secure burned areas as high temperatures and strong winds continued to pose the risk of flare-ups. The wildfire in the Gironde region scorched about 420 square kilometres in just 10 days before authorities announced over the weekend that its spread had been stopped. "The fire is now fixed, which does not mean that the fire is extinguished," the Gironde prefecture said on Sunday, using the French firefighting term for a blaze that has been contained within its perimeter. The region remains under France's highest red forest fire alert, with dry weather, soaring temperatures and afternoon winds raising concerns that the flames could reignite. Additional firefighting teams from Ukraine, Lithuania and French Polynesia were expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday to strengthen the response. Scientists at World Weather Attribution said in a rapid analysis released on Thursday that human-caused climate change had doubled the likelihood of the extreme fire conditions that fueled the wildfires in France. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s. The Gironde wildfire triggered one of the largest peacetime evacuations in modern French history, leaving many thousands of residents still displaced or unable to return home. In southeastern France's Var department, nearly 1,500 firefighters continued battling another wildfire that burned around 18 square kilometres in just over a day. Officials said the fire in the Gros Bessillon hills was stabilised on Sunday morning, meaning it had not expanded overnight. However, unlike the Gironde wildfire, it had not yet been officially declared contained. Firefighting aircraft assisted ground crews as they worked to prevent the flames from reaching villages surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and wooded hills in the Green Provence region. About 2,500 people were evacuated as the fire threatened nearby communities. The latest blaze is the fourth major wildfire to hit central Var since July 19. Earlier this week, another smaller wildfire near Brignoles forced Hollywood actor George Clooney, his family and around 700 other residents to evacuate before firefighters brought it under control. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the country's wildfires were largely under control but warned that changing weather conditions continued to pose a serious challenge. He also announced the appointment of a national coordinator to oversee reconstruction efforts in fire-affected areas. More than 1,170 square kilometres have been burned by wildfires across France since the beginning of the year.

Renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and nine fellow climbers who were buried in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak have been confirmed dead, his expedition company said on Saturday as recovery efforts continued. Elite Exped, Purja's expedition company, announced that all 10 members of the team had lost their lives in the avalanche that struck on Thursday, describing the tragedy as a devastating loss for the global climbing community. "The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers," the company said in a statement, expressing condolences to the families of all those who died. Rescue teams had recovered four bodies by Friday, with three of them brought down despite severe weather that disrupted helicopter operations. Military-supported search teams resumed efforts on Saturday to recover the remaining victims. Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said the deaths of climbers from different countries represented a profound loss to the international mountaineering community. He praised military personnel, civilian rescuers and Sherpas involved in the operation, saying the Himalayas and Karakoram continue to inspire adventurers while reminding them of the significant dangers posed by high-altitude expeditions. Earlier on Saturday, local police official Tahir Khan said the remains of Omani climber Nathira Ahmed were being flown to Islamabad, while the bodies of American climber Mallory Geis and Nepali climber Bahadur Gurung remained at a hospital in Skardu, the main city in Gilgit-Baltistan. According to China's Xinhua News Agency, citing the Chinese embassy in Pakistan, a Chinese climber was also among those killed in the avalanche. The expedition was led by Purja, also known as Nims Dai, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier who gained worldwide recognition after climbing the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in a record 189 days in 2019. His achievement was featured in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, although the record was surpassed in 2023. Elite Exped described Purja as an inspirational leader whose determination, humility and belief in human potential motivated climbers around the world. In a statement, Geis' family remembered her as "a bright light" who was deeply loved by family and friends. The expedition marked Geis' first attempt to climb an 8,000-metre peak in Pakistan. For Pakistani guide Sakhi, who worked with the travel company Moving Mountains, it was expected to be his final expedition. Besides being an experienced mountaineer, he was also known as a geographer and high-altitude photographer. Fatal accidents are not uncommon in Pakistan's northern mountain ranges, where climbers face hazards including avalanches, falling ice and rocks, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather conditions.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is prepared to suspend further American military strikes against Iran, saying regional partners have outlined the framework of a possible agreement aimed at ending the five-month conflict. In a post on social media, Trump said the proposed agreement would include the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and measures to eliminate what he described as Iran's nuclear threat. He said he had agreed to call off planned military action in the interest of global stability and Iran's future prosperity, while stressing that the decision would depend on the swift conclusion of a deal. Trump has previously announced pauses in military action against Iran since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Feb. 28, though hostilities have resumed after earlier diplomatic efforts failed. Iran's defence minister responded on X, saying Tehran remained vigilant and prepared to respond to any tangible threats from the United States, adding that the country was neither surprised nor passive following Trump's remarks. Proposal seeks renewed negotiationsA regional official involved in mediation efforts said the latest proposal envisions the United States and Iran returning to the negotiating table to resolve issues that have blocked previous agreements. According to the official, the proposal includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region, including operations by Iran-backed militias in Iraq targeting Gulf states and Jordan. In return, the United States would lift its naval blockade on Iran and permit Tehran to resume oil exports under the terms of a proposed ceasefire. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said negotiations are continuing and no final agreement has been reached. Trump also claimed Israel would support the ceasefire initiative, though Israeli authorities did not immediately comment on the statement. Saudi concerns over escalationSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the situation with Trump by phone on Saturday, expressing concern that further US military action could trigger Iranian retaliation, according to the Saudi Press Agency. A person familiar with the conversation said Saudi officials fear Iran could target energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations if tensions escalate. The call took place before Trump's social media announcement. The source said the crown prince sought clarification on possible US actions toward Iran. A White House official confirmed the call but declined to disclose details. Iran has repeatedly targeted vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz without its approval during its confrontation with the United States. Israeli strikes continue in GazaMeanwhile, Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight killed at least eight Palestinians, including two children, and injured more than a dozen others, according to local health authorities. Health officials said three members of a family, including a four-year-old child, were killed in a strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza. Another strike in Gaza City killed three more family members, including a child, while the mother, who was six months pregnant, was among those killed, according to hospital officials. In central Gaza, an Israeli strike killed a man and his wife and wounded four others, local medical authorities said. The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Hamas operatives but did not provide further details. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 1,222 Palestinians, including more than 260 children, have been killed since the October ceasefire. Five Israeli soldiers have also died during the same period. Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the truce. Separately, the US State Department issued fresh security alerts on Saturday advising American citizens across the Middle East to prepare for possible flight cancellations, temporary airspace closures and other travel disruptions. The advisory covers Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

At least five people were killed and 41 others remained missing after a ferry carrying 271 passengers and crew caught fire in Indonesian waters, authorities said. According to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the vessel caught fire near Madura Island while travelling from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city in East Java, to Makassar in South Sulawesi. The ferry's captain alerted authorities after the blaze broke out, reports BBC. Video footage aired by local broadcaster iNews showed dozens of passengers wearing life jackets aboard what appeared to be a lifeboat. Other videos captured people climbing down from the burning ferry as thick smoke and flames engulfed the upper section of the vessel.    

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the  DR Congo has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. According to the WHO's latest disease outbreak report, the DRC had recorded 3,605 confirmed Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus as of Thursday, including 1,587 deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate of 44 percent. The previous largest outbreak, which affected eastern DRC between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases. Initially limited to the Mongbwalu health zone in Ituri province, the current outbreak has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces — Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo. The WHO said 151 health workers have been infected during the outbreak, with 44 of them dying, underscoring continuing gaps in infection prevention and control at healthcare facilities. The UN health agency warned that insecurity, population displacement, frequent movement of people and cross-border travel are hampering surveillance and response efforts, increasing the risk of further transmission. The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-affected areas where access to healthcare, clean water, food and shelter remains limited. Attacks on health facilities have also disrupted response operations and increased the risk of undetected spread. Describing the risk within the DRC as "very high," the WHO called for a major expansion of disease surveillance, testing, clinical care, infection prevention, community engagement and logistical support to contain the outbreak.

Seven suspected armed robbers were killed in a gunfight with Afghan police in Kabul on Saturday night. Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesperson, said the exchange of fire took place in Police District 8 at around 9 pm. He confirmed the incident in a statement posted on social media platform X early Sunday. Police recovered a vehicle along with several weapons and ammunition from the suspected robbers, the statement said. One security personnel was also injured in the incident, though no further details were immediately available.