United News of Bangladesh

King Charles III announced Friday that his cancer treatment will be reduced in the new year, highlighting the benefits of early detection and urging others to take advantage of screening programs that can catch the disease when it is most treatable. In a recorded message aired on British television, the 77-year-old monarch emphasized that early diagnosis can save lives. “I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life even while undergoing treatment,” he said. Buckingham Palace confirmed that the king’s treatment is now in a “precautionary phase,” and his health will continue to be closely monitored to ensure recovery. Charles has consistently used his experience to raise cancer awareness since announcing his diagnosis in February 2024, prompting a surge in public interest in cancer information and screening, according to British charities. The king has not disclosed the type of cancer or specific treatment he is receiving, a deliberate choice intended to make his message relevant to all cancer patients. The palace explained that experts advised him to focus on supporting the broader cancer community rather than detailing his own condition. His cancer was discovered after treatment for an enlarged prostate, with tests revealing a separate issue of concern. Following his diagnosis, Charles paused public appearances for about two months to focus on treatment, but continued to carry out his constitutional duties. He returned to public engagements in April 2024, visiting a cancer-treatment center at University College Hospital in London, where he met staff and patients, offering support and sharing his experiences. Charles, breaking with traditional royal discretion regarding health, encouraged compassion combined with action. “This December, as we gather to reflect on the year past, I pray that we can each pledge, as part of our resolutions for the year ahead, to play our part in helping to catch cancer early. Your life — or the life of someone you love — may depend upon it,” he said.  

Supporters of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said Friday that Iranian authorities have arrested the prominent human rights activist. According to the foundation that bears her name, Mohammadi was detained in the northeastern city of Mashhad while attending a memorial service for a human rights lawyer who was recently found dead under unclear circumstances. Mashhad is located about 680 kilometers from Tehran. A local official reportedly confirmed that arrests took place but did not specifically identify Mohammadi, who is 53. It remains uncertain whether she will be sent back to prison, where she had been serving a sentence before being granted temporary medical leave in December 2024. Her detention comes amid an intensified crackdown by Iranian authorities on activists, intellectuals, and dissidents as the country grapples with economic hardship, international sanctions, and fears of renewed conflict with Israel. The arrest could increase pressure from Western governments at a time when Tehran has signaled interest in restarting nuclear negotiations with the United States. The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed serious concern over Mohammadi’s arrest, urging Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her whereabouts, ensure her safety, and release her unconditionally. Supporters said Mohammadi was forcibly detained by security and police forces during the memorial, where other activists were also reportedly arrested. The ceremony honored Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old lawyer and human rights advocate whose death was officially described as a heart attack, though its timing has raised questions amid heightened security measures. More than 80 lawyers have called for greater transparency surrounding his death. Human rights advocates condemned the arrests, describing them as an assault on basic freedoms. They said detaining people for attending a memorial reflects deep fear of accountability within the government and highlighted the courage of Iranians who continue to protest peacefully. Video shared by Mohammadi’s supporters showed her speaking to the crowd without wearing a hijab and leading chants in honor of Majidreza Rahnavard, who was publicly executed in 2022. Additional footage appeared to show anti-government slogans being shouted during the gathering. Mashhad’s governor said prosecutors ordered the temporary detention of several participants after what he described as the chanting of inappropriate slogans. He claimed the measures were preventive, though he did not address allegations that force was used during the arrests. Mohammadi had been on extended medical furlough for several months after her release from prison late last year. Although initially granted for three weeks, the leave was repeatedly extended, possibly due to international pressure. During that time, she continued her activism, participating in protests and speaking to international media, including appearing outside Tehran’s Evin prison. She had been serving a sentence of nearly 14 years on charges related to national security and propaganda against the state and was a vocal supporter of protests following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. Mohammadi has suffered serious health issues while imprisoned, including heart attacks and surgery for a bone lesion that doctors feared could be cancerous. Medical professionals have warned that returning her to prison without adequate care could seriously endanger her health. An engineer by profession, Mohammadi has been jailed multiple times over the years, receiving sentences totaling more than three decades. Her most recent imprisonment began in 2021 after she attended another memorial linked to nationwide protests.

President Donald Trump said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to restore a ceasefire after several days of deadly fighting, but officials from both countries indicated that hostilities had not fully stopped and that key issues remain unresolved. Trump announced the renewed truce on social media after separate phone calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. He said both sides had agreed to halt all shooting and return to the original peace agreement reached earlier this year with support from Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. However, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry later challenged Trump’s claim that a ceasefire had been finalized, without offering further details. A spokesperson for Thailand’s defense ministry said clashes were continuing, while Cambodia’s defense ministry reported that Thai forces carried out strikes early Saturday. Those claims could not be independently confirmed. Before Trump’s social media announcement, Anutin said he had told the U.S. president that Thailand would continue military operations until Cambodia no longer threatened its sovereignty. He said Thailand wanted concrete actions from Cambodia, including halting attacks, withdrawing forces, and clearing land mines, rather than declarations alone. Trump credited Malaysia’s prime minister with playing a key role in efforts to prevent what he described as a potentially major war between two neighboring countries. The original ceasefire was reached in July through Malaysian mediation and U.S. pressure, with Trump warning of possible trade consequences if the deal was not accepted. The agreement was later formalized in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia. Despite that arrangement, tensions persisted, marked by propaganda campaigns and sporadic cross-border violence. The conflict is rooted in long-standing territorial disputes dating back to colonial-era maps from 1907, which Thailand disputes, and a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded disputed territory to Cambodia. Recent fighting has included Thai airstrikes on what it says are Cambodian military targets and Cambodia’s use of BM-21 rocket launchers. Thai media reported that at least six Thai soldiers were killed by rocket shrapnel, and the Thai military said Cambodian rockets damaged homes near the border. Thailand also reported destroying a crane near the historic Preah Vihear temple, alleging it was being used for military surveillance. Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for helping resolve multiple international conflicts since returning to office and has openly expressed interest in receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to reporters later Friday, he said his administration had successfully eased the Thailand-Cambodia crisis and described the situation as stable. Other ceasefires Trump has cited as diplomatic successes are also facing difficulties. A recent peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda is under strain as violence has escalated in eastern Congo. The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes expressed deep concern and urged all parties to honor their commitments and de-escalate tensions. Meanwhile, Trump’s internationally backed plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza remains unresolved, with intermittent fighting continuing and negotiations over a key second phase still ongoing.

President Donald Trump has been sued by preservationists seeking to halt his White House ballroom project until it undergoes independent reviews and receives congressional approval. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, arguing that the project, which involved demolishing the East Wing, violates federal laws and exceeds the president’s constitutional authority. The group is demanding comprehensive design reviews, environmental assessments, public input, and debate and ratification by Congress before construction continues. “No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review, or build a ballroom on public property without public input,” the lawsuit said. The Trust added that work should stop until all required reviews and approvals are completed. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not respond immediately to questions about the lawsuit or whether Trump plans to seek congressional approval. Trump has said the project is privately funded, including his own money, but federal rules still apply because the White House is government property. Trump has argued that a new ballroom is necessary, as large events often require outdoor tents due to the limited capacity of existing rooms. The White House is expected to submit detailed plans for the ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission before the end of the year, three months after construction began. Will Scharf, chairman of the commission, said the panel will review the plans at a “normal and deliberative pace” once submitted, marking the start of the official review process.  

The European Union is expected on Friday to lock up Russia’s assets held in Europe until it gives up its war in Ukraine and compensates its neighbor for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. The move is an important step that would allow EU leaders to work out at a summit next week how to use the tens of billions of euros in Russian Central Bank assets to underwrite a huge loan to help Ukraine meet its financial and military needs over the next two years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe – accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, “of systematically raping European law.” A total of 210 billion euros ($247 billion) in Russian assets are frozen in Europe. The vast majority of the funds — around 193 billion euros ($225 billion) at the end of September — are held in Euroclear, a Belgian financial clearing house. The money was frozen under sanctions that the EU imposed on Russia over the war it launched on Feb. 24, 2022, but these sanctions must be renewed every six months, and all 27 member countries must approve them for that to happen. Hungary and Slovakia oppose providing more support to Ukraine. Friday’s expected decision, which is based on EU treaty rules allowing the bloc to protect its economic interests in certain emergency situations, would prevent them from blocking the sanctions rollover and make it easier to use the assets. Orbán said on social media that it means that “the rule of law in the European Union comes to an end, and Europe’s leaders are placing themselves above the rules.” “The European Commission is systematically raping European law. It is doing this in order to continue the war in Ukraine, a war that clearly isn’t winnable,” he wrote. He said that Hungary “will do everything in its power to restore a lawful order.” In a letter to European Council President António Costa, who will chair the summit starting on Dec. 18, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he would refuse to back any move that “would include covering Ukraine’s military expenses for the coming years.” He warned “that the use of frozen Russian assets could directly jeopardize U.S. peace efforts, which directly count on the use of these resources for the reconstruction of Ukraine.” But the commission argues that the war has imposed heavy costs by hiking energy prices and stunting economic growth in the EU, which has already provided nearly 200 billion euros ($235 billion) in support to Ukraine. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the expected move as “a major decision that will undoubtedly influence the course of the war and accelerate peace.” “Because Europeans do not want to let anyone else decide for them ... we have decided to lock those sums (assets) for as long as necessary,” Barrot said on France Info news broadcaster. The decision would also prevent the assets from being used in any way without European approval. A 28-point peace plan drafted by U.S. and Russian envoys stipulated that the EU would release the frozen assets for use by Ukraine, Russia and the United States. That plan was rejected by Ukraine and its backers in Europe. Belgium, where Euroclear is based, is opposed to the “reparations loan” plan. It says that the plan “entails consequential economic, financial and legal risks,” and has called on other EU countries to share the risk. Russia’s Central Bank, meanwhile, said on Friday that it has filed a lawsuit in Moscow against Euroclear for damages it says were caused when Moscow was barred from managing the assets. Euroclear declined to comment. In a separate statement, the Central Bank also described wider EU plans to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine as “illegal, contrary to international law,” arguing that they violated “the principles of sovereign immunity of assets.”

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan and caused small tsunami waves but no apparent damage Friday, days after a stronger quake in the same region. Friday's quake occurred off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Honshu, the main Japanese island, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) at 11:44 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which issued a tsunami advisory that was lifted about two hours later. Small waves were reported in Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures, but no serious damage or injuries were reported. The quake followed a 7.5 magnitude earthquake Monday that caused injuries, light damage and a small tsunami on Japan's Pacific coast. At least 34 people were injured in that quake, power was knocked out temporarily in places, and tsunami waves more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) above tide levels were measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture. Authorities had warned of possible aftershocks. Officials said after Monday's quake there was also a slight increase in the risk of a megaquake, at magnitude 8 or stronger, and a possible tsunami occurring along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of such a strong earthquake. The recent quakes occurred around the area where the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Thailand’s Parliament was dissolved Friday for new elections early next year as the country engaged in deadly fighting with Cambodia. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the House of Representatives after getting approval from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose endorsement became effective Friday with its publication in the Royal Gazette. Anutin had signaled the move with a Facebook post late Thursday saying: “I’d like to return power to the people.” The election must be held 45 to 60 days after the royal endorsement, a period during which Anutin will head a caretaker government with limited powers that cannot approve a new budget. The move comes at a tricky political moment, as Thailand is engaged in large-scale combat with Cambodia over a longstanding border dispute. Anutin has only been prime minister since September Anutin has been prime minister for just three months, succeeding Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who served only a year in office before losing office over a scandal that erupted out of a previous round of border tensions. Anutin won the September vote in Parliament with support from the main opposition People’s Party in exchange for a promise to dissolve Parliament within four months and organize a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly. The party, which runs on progressive platforms, has long sought changes to the constitution, imposed during a military government, saying they want to make it more democratic. The issue of constitutional change appeared to trigger the dissolution, after the People’s Party prepared to call a no-confidence vote Thursday. That threat came after lawmakers from Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party voted in favor of a bill to amend the constitution that the opposition party felt ran against the spirit of the agreement they had reached in September. The People's Party holds the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives and is seen as the main challenger to Bhumjaithai. As news of the pending dissolution circulated late Thursday, its leaders said they hoped Anutin would still honor the agreement to arrange a constitutional referendum. Anutin served in Paetongtarn’s former government but resigned from his positions and withdrew his party from her coalition government as she faced controversy over a phone call with Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen in June. Paetongtarn, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office ahead of the July fighting, after being found guilty of ethics violations over the politically compromising call. Warring parties are waiting for calls with Trump With Thailand now again engaged in heavy combat against Cambodia, Anutin has embraced an aggressive military posture to appeal to nationalistic public sentiment, and has said Thailand will keep fighting until its sovereignty and safety are guaranteed. After the five days of border fighting in July, U.S. President Donald Trump pushed the two countries to agree on a ceasefire by threatening to withhold trade privileges from them. Trump has vowed again to make peace between them after widespread fighting flared up again this week. If he employs the cudgel of high tariffs on Thai exports should Thailand fail to comply with his peacemaking effort comply, it could cause serious damage to its already sluggish economy. Trump said twice this week that he expects to speak by phone with the Thai and Cambodian leaders, expressing confidence that he would persuade them to stop the fighting. Anutin on Friday confirmed that he is scheduled to speak with Trump on Friday night, saying he would brief him on the latest situation along the border. As of Thursday, about two dozen people had been reported killed in this week’s fighting, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides. The Thai military estimates that 165 Cambodian soldiers have been killed, though no number has been officially announced by Phnom Penh. Thailand’s leader may gain from hawkish posture “Anutin has capitalized on the renewed border tensions with Cambodia to portray himself as a leader willing to take a nationalist, hard-line stance in defending Thailand’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” commented Napon Jatusripitak, director of the Center for Politics and Geopolitics at Thailand Future, a Bangkok-based think tank. “This emerging narrative has, at least for now, eclipsed criticisms of his handling of the floods in Southern Thailand and muted scrutiny over lingering questions of his potential involvement with scam networks,” said Napon, who is also a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Purawich Watanasukh, a political scientist as Bangkok’s Thammasat University said that the standing of Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party has slipped in recent weeks due to the southern flood crisis, which took more than 160 lives, and his government’s mishandling of major scam scandals, which tainted some officials and figures in the Thai business community. “However, the recent clash between Thailand and Cambodia has provided Anutin with an opportunity to reframe himself as a defender of national sovereignty, potentially boosting his popularity, ” Purawich told The Associated Press in an email interview. “Dissolving the House at this moment allows Bhumjaithai to capitalize on this shifting sentiment.

Scientists in Britain say ancient humans may have learned to make fire far earlier than previously believed, after uncovering evidence that deliberate fire-setting took place in what is now eastern England around 400,000 years ago. The findings, described in the journal Nature, push back the earliest known date for controlled fire-making by roughly 350,000 years. Until now, the oldest confirmed evidence had come from Neanderthal sites in what is now northern France dating to about 50,000 years ago. The discovery was made at Barnham, a Paleolithic site in Suffolk that has been excavated for decades. A team led by the British Museum identified a patch of baked clay, flint hand axes fractured by intense heat and two fragments of iron pyrite, a mineral that produces sparks when struck against flint. Researchers spent four years analyzing to rule out natural wildfires. Geochemical tests showed temperatures had exceeded 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 Fahrenheit), with evidence of repeated burning in the same location. That pattern, they say, is consistent with a constructed hearth rather than a lightning strike. Rob Davis, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum, said the combination of high temperatures, controlled burning and pyrite fragments shows “how they were actually making the fire and the fact they were making it.” Iron pyrite does not occur naturally at Barnham. Its presence suggests the people who lived there deliberately collected it because they understood its properties and could use it to ignite tinder. Deliberate fire-making is rarely preserved in the archaeological record. Ash is easily dispersed, charcoal decays and heat-altered sediments can be eroded. At Barnham, however, the burned deposits were sealed within ancient pond sediments, allowing scientists to reconstruct how early people used the site. Researchers say the implications for human evolution are substantial. Fire allowed early populations to survive colder environments, deter predators and cook food. Cooking breaks down toxins in roots and tubers and kills pathogens in meat, improving digestion and releasing more energy to support larger brains. Chris Stringer, a human evolution specialist at the Natural History Museum, said fossils from Britain and Spain suggest the inhabitants of Barnham were early Neanderthals whose cranial features and DNA point to growing cognitive and technological sophistication. Fire also enabled new forms of social life. Evening gatherings around a hearth would have provided time for planning, storytelling and strengthening group relationships, which are behaviors often associated with the development of language and more organized societies. Archaeologists say the Barnham site fits a wider pattern across Britain and continental Europe between 500,000 and 400,000 years ago, when brain size in early humans began to approach modern levels and when evidence for increasingly complex behavior becomes more visible. Nick Ashton, curator of Paleolithic collections at the British Museum, described it as “the most exciting discovery of my long 40-year career." For archaeologists, the find helps address a long-standing question: When humans stopped relying on lightning strikes and wildfires and instead learned to create flame wherever and whenever they needed it.

Japan on Friday issued a tsunami advisory after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook the country’s northeast, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake occurred off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, in the north of Honshu, the main Japanese island, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) at 11:44 a.m. local time, JMA said. The Pacific coast of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures could see a tsunami of up to 1 meter (3.2 feet), the agency added. Damage and injuries weren’t immediately clear. An advisory is a lower level of caution than a warning. Friday’s quake followed a 7.5 magnitude earthquake earlier this week in the north that caused injuries, light damage and a tsunami in Pacific coastal communities. At least 34 people were injured in that quake on Monday off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main Honshu island. A tsunami more than 2 feet (0.6 meters) above tide levels was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture before all tsunami advisories were lifted. Power was knocked out for hundreds of homes but was mostly restored Tuesday morning. Authorities had warned of possible aftershocks. Officials said after Monday's quake there was also a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan’s northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week, reminding them that the caution is not a prediction of a big one. The quakes occurred in the coastal region, where a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011 killed nearly 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

U.S. strategic bombers joined a fleet of Japanese fighter jets in a joint military exercise meant to demonstrate their military cooperation around Japan's airspace, defense officials said Thursday, as tensions with China escalate. The exercise showcasing joint Japanese-U.S. air power came a day after Chinese and Russian bombers flew together around western Japan, prompting Tokyo to scramble fighter jets, though there was no airspace violation. It also follows China's military aircraft locking radar on Japanese jets Saturday, another incident that has caused Tokyo-Beijing relations to further deteriorate. Early Friday, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his U.S counterpart, Pete Hegseth, held telephone talks on “increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident,” the Japanese defense ministry said in a statement. It did not mention the flight drills. It said the ministers expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as “China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability.” Koizumi reiterated that Japan will firmly and steadily continue surveillance and monitoring activities in the airspace and waters surrounding the country. Japan's Air Self Defense-Force and the U.S. military conducted the joint exercise Wednesday as “the security environment surrounding our country is becoming even severer,” the Japanese Joint Staff said. It said the allies “reaffirmed the strong resolve to prevent unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and the readiness between the SDF and the U.S. forces.” Two U.S. B-52 strategic bombers and three Japanese F-35 stealth fighter jets and three F-15 jets conducted their joint flight drills near Japan’s western airspace, above the waters between the country and South Korea, officials said. Exercises held as the security environment grows more tense The Joint Staff denied that the exercise was conducted in response to a specific incident, but acknowledged Chinese military aircraft’s recent radar-locking on Japanese jets and the China-Russia joint bomber exercises Tuesday as examples of a worsening security environment around Japan. Relations between Japan and China have deteriorated after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in early November that Japan's military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. The row escalated over the weekend when separate Chinese drills involving a carrier near southern Japan prompted Tokyo to scramble jets and to protest that Japanese aircraft were targeted by repeated radar-locking — a move considered as possible preparation for firing. Tokyo protested to Beijing, asking for an explanation and preventive measures. China denied the allegation and accused Japanese jets of interfering and endangering the Chinese exercise. Washington stressed its “unwavering” alliance with Japan, saying the incident was not “conducive to regional peace and stability." The exercise came one day after Chinese and Russian strategic bombers conducted joint long-distance flight from the waters between Japan and South Korea down to the Pacific, the Joint Staff said. Two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 that flew down from the airspace east of the Korean Peninsula joined a pair of Chinese H-6 bombers over the East China Sea for a joint flight down to the Pacific off the southern coast of Japan's Shikoku island. The four bombers were also joined by four Chinese J-16 fighters as they flew back and forth between two Japanese southwestern islands Okinawa and Miyako, the area where China is expanding its military presence.