United News of Bangladesh

Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast have left four people dead and one missing, officials said Friday as rain eased over the disaster area. 50,000 people have been isolated by flooding along the coast of New South Wales state north of Sydney after days of heavy rain. The low-pressure weather system that brought the deluge had moved further south to Sydney and its surrounds Friday.  Record floodwaters in eastern Australia, 1 dead and 3 missing Four bodies have been retrieved from floodwaters in New South Wales since Wednesday. Three of the victims had driven into floodwaters, while a man’s body had been found on the veranda of his flooded home. The latest victim was a man in his 70s whose body was found in a car in floodwater Friday near Coffs Harbour, a police statement said. The car had run off the road. A 49-year-old man remains missing after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida on Wednesday night. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns on Friday were inspecting devastated communities, some of which had been inundated by the highest floodwaters on record. Minns praised emergency services and volunteers for rescuing 678 people from floodwaters in recent days, including 177 in the past 24 hours. “It’s an amazing, heroic logistical effort where, in very difficult circumstances, many volunteers put themselves in harm’s way to rescue a complete stranger. And over the coming days and weeks, we will hear scores of stories of locals being plucked out of impossible, desperate situations,” Minns told reporters in Maitland in the flood area. “Without the volunteers, we would have had hundreds of deaths and we’re in deep, deep gratitude to those people who volunteered their time,” Minns added. Despite the easing rain, State Emergency Service Commissioner Mike Wassing said crews were still looking out for floodwaters potentially rising due to water continuing to flow into catchments. “We still do have active flood rescues still coming into the system and we’re dealing with those on a case-by-case" basis, Wassing said. “We have seen that tempo drop off, and that’s a good thing.” Bellingen Shire Council Mayor Steve Allan said landslides and damaged roads and bridges were complicating the process of reaching isolated communities in his rural local government region southwest of Coffs Harbour. “We’ve woken up to blue skies which is a great thing,” Allan said. Australians start voting in general elections as pope's death overshadows campaigning “Our rivers are slowly receding and I think we’re probably transitioning from the response phase into the recovery phase this morning,” he added.

Greece is deploying a record number of firefighters and nearly doubling its drone fleet this summer to address growing wildfire risks driven by climate change, officials said Thursday. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said 18,000 permanent and seasonal personnel, supported by thousands of volunteers, would be mobilized as wildfire damage has increased steadily over the past two decades.  Gaza's main hospital overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition “It is clear that the conditions this year will be particularly difficult,” Kefalogiannis told reporters after attending a firefighting exercise south of Athens. Rising average temperatures and low rainfall have significantly worsened conditions in recent years. Greek Fire Chief Lt. Gen. Theodoros Vagias said that additional elite firefighting units would be deployed to high-risk areas during the May–October fire season. “The climate crisis is here to stay, and we must be more effective in surveillance, preparedness, and how we mobilize our resources,” Vagias said. Wildfire damage surged to more than 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) in 2021 and 1,745 square kilometers (675 square miles) in 2023 — roughly three times the 2011–2020 average — according to data from the European Union’s Forest Fire Information System. Firefighters held an exercise Thursday to test Greece’s evolving wildfire response, which increasingly relies on advanced technologies such as drone surveillance and mobile command centers.  Israeli strikes kill 51 in Gaza as limited aid begins to arrive Fire planes skimmed treetops, releasing plumes of water in coordinated low-altitude drops, as commanders on the ground huddled over tablets streaming real-time drone footage. The coast guard and armed forces took part in a drill simulating the evacuation of a children’s summer camp threatened by fires on multiple fronts. Officials said the number of firefighting personnel has increased by roughly 20% over the past two years, while the fleet of fire-surveillance drones has grown to 82, up from 45. Around 300 firefighters from the Czech Republic, France, Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria are being sent to Greece under a European Union prepositioning program, officials said.

Grabbing her daughter's feeble arm, Asmaa al-Arja pulls a shirt over the 2-year-old's protruding ribs and swollen belly. The child lies on a hospital bed, heaving, then wails uncontrollably, throwing her arms around her own shoulders as if to console herself. This isn't the first time Mayar has been in a Gaza hospital battling malnutrition, yet this 17-day stint is the longest. She has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means she can't eat gluten and requires special food. But there's little left for her to eat in the embattled enclave after 19 months of war and Israel's punishing blockade, and she can't digest what's available. “She needs diapers, soy milk and she needs special food. This is not available because of border closures. If it's available, it is expensive, I can’t afford it,” her mother said as she sat next to Mayar at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Mayar is among the more than 9,000 children who have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the U.N. children’s agency, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year. Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade — but the World Health Organization said last week that people are already starving. “Everywhere you look, people are hungry. ... They point their fingers to their mouths showing that (they) need something to eat,” said Nestor Owomuhangi, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund for the Palestinian territories. “The worst has already arrived in Gaza.” Israel eases blockade but little aid reaches Palestinians For more than two months, Israel has banned all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians, as it carries out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel's offensive has destroyed almost all the territory's food production capabilities. After weeks of insisting Gaza had enough food, Israel relented in the face of international pressure and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into the territory this week — including some carrying baby food. 54 people killed in overnight airstrikes on southern Gaza city amid Trump's Mideast trip “Children are already dying from malnutrition and there are more babies in Gaza now who will be in mortal danger if they don’t get fast access to the nutrition supplies needed to save their lives,” said Tess Ingram of the U.N. children’s agency. But U.N. agencies say the amount is woefully insufficient, compared to around 600 trucks a day that entered during a recent ceasefire and that are necessary to meet basic needs. And they have struggled to retrieve the aid and distribute it, blaming complicated Israeli military procedures and the breakdown of law and order inside the territory. On Wednesday, a U.N. official said more than a dozen trucks arrived at warehouses in central Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. That appeared to be the first aid to actually reach a distribution point since the blockade was lifted. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, without providing evidence, and plans to roll out a new aid distribution system within days. U.N. agencies and aid groups say the new system would fall far short of mounting needs, force much of the population to flee again in order to be closer to distribution sites, and violate humanitarian principles by forcing people to move to receive the aid rather than delivering it based on need to where people live. On top of not being able to find or afford the food that Mayar needs, her mother said chronic diarrhea linked to celiac disease has kept the child in and out of hospital all year. The toddler — whose two pigtails are brittle, a sign of malnutrition — weighs 7 kilograms (15 pounds), according to doctors. That's about half what healthy girl her age should. But it’s getting harder to help her as supplies like baby formula are disappearing, say health staff. Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualties from Israeli strikes. Packed hospital feeding centers are overwhelmed with patients. “We have nothing at Nasser Hospital," said Dr. Ahmed al-Farrah, who said his emergency center for malnourished children is at full capacity. Supplies are running out, people are living off scraps, and the situation is catastrophic for babies and pregnant women, he said. Everything watered down to make it last In the feeding center of the hospital, malnourished mothers console their hungry children — some so frail their spines jut out of their skin, their legs swollen from lack food. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 60, including 22 children The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises, has warned that there could be some 71,000 cases of malnourished children between now and March. In addition, nearly 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months. Mai Namleh and her 18-month-old son, who live in a tent, are both malnourished. She wanted to wean him off of breastmilk because she barely has any, but she has so little else to give him. She gives him heavily watered-down formula to ration it, and sometimes offers him starch to quiet his hunger screams. “I try to pass it for milk to stop him screaming,” she said of the formula. An aid group gave her around 30 packets of nutritional supplements, but they ran out in two days as she shared them with family and friends, she said. In another tent, Nouf al-Arja says she paid a fortune for a hard-to-find kilogram (about 2 pounds) of red lentils. The family cooks it with a lot of water so it lasts, unsure what they will eat next. The mother of four has lost 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and struggles to focus, saying she constantly feels dizzy. Both she and her 3-year-old daughter are malnourished, doctors said. She's worried her baby boy, born four months earlier and massively underweight, will suffer the same fate as she struggles to breastfeed. “I keep looking for (infant food) .... so I can feed him. There is nothing," she said.

Liang Jianjun, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, emphasised the importance of good neighbourly relations, stating that "a good neighbour means a peaceful and secure home." “That’s why the Central Committee convened the first-ever Neighbourhood Diplomacy Work Conference, explicitly positioning neighbourhood relations as the foundation for China’s development and prosperity. It is a priority in safeguarding national security, a key element of overall diplomatic strategy, and a vital part of building a community with a shared future for mankind,” he said. Liang made the remarks during a recent press conference held at the “Lin Jia 7 Salon” within the Beijing International Club. He mentioned that many of China’s key foreign policy initiatives—such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative—were first introduced or advanced in neighbouring countries. China's foreign trade continues to grow despite challenges posed by tariff barriers To date, China has achieved consensus on building a community with a shared future with 17 neighbouring nations. The most recent agreement was with Brunei in February this year. In mainland Southeast Asia and Central Asia, China has established two major regional clusters dedicated to fostering shared future communities. Liang further added that China’s neighbourhood diplomacy is guided by the vision of constructing five types of shared homes—peaceful, secure, prosperous, beautiful, and friendly. This vision is supported by the principle of forging friendships and partnerships with neighbours based on amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness, as well as the belief in building a community of shared destiny. "It adheres to the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, with high-quality Belt and Road cooperation serving as the main platform, and a security model based on common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security as the strategic foundation," he added. Foreign Ministers laud progress in China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation Regarding tariffs, he said China pledged to strengthen supply chain cooperation, emphasising that tariff wars have no winners—a sharp contrast to U.S. economic bullying. This has positioned China as a champion of free trade, defender of developing countries’ interests, and a leader in regional cooperation. This image has become deeply ingrained, showing China as a trustworthy, stable, and long-term partner in the region, sending a reassuring signal amid uncertainty. China speaks and acts accordingly. Faced with the U.S. unilateral tariff impositions, China stood firm as a pillar, was the first to counter decisively, and compelled the U.S. to adjust its tariff policies, Liang added. BD, China hold talks on bilateral ties, "common concern"

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will undertake an official visit to Indonesia from 24 to 26 May, at the invitation of President Prabowo Subianto, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Besides, Li will participate in the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 May, at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of ASEAN, the ministry added. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, highlighted that China-Indonesia relations, which span 75 years, have been progressing steadily with significant achievements through practical cooperation. Last year, the two heads of state reached important consensus on building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future with regional and global influence, elevating bilateral relations to a new level. China prioritises neighbourhood diplomacy to foster peace and prosperity Li's schedule in Indonesia will include talks and meetings with Indonesian leaders, including President Prabowo, during which they will engage in in-depth discussions on deepening high-level and all-round strategic cooperation. Li will also attend activities of local business community, Mao said. She said China hopes to carry forward the traditional friendship with Indonesia, deepen solidarity and cooperation, continuously consolidate cooperation in the "five pillars" of politics, economy, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, maritime affairs and security. It is hoped that the two countries, along their respective modernization paths, will constantly enrich the connotation of the China-Indonesia community with a shared future, and make greater contributions to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and beyond, she added. On the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit to be held for the first time, Mao said that both ASEAN and GCC countries are emerging economies in Asia, important members of the Global South, and important partners in the Belt and Road cooperation. Foreign Ministers laud progress in China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation China supports Malaysia, ASEAN's rotating chair, in proposing to hold the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, she said. Under the current international and regional circumstances, it is of great significance for the three parties to jointly discuss plans for solidarity, cooperation, development and prosperity, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation across regions, she said. Mao said that China looks forward to expanding practical cooperation with ASEAN and GCC countries across various fields, leveraging their complementary advantages to achieve win-win outcomes, while jointly safeguarding the multilateral trading system and defending the common interests of the Global South.

Net migration to the UK is projected to decline by nearly 50% in 2024, largely due to a significant drop in arrivals from non-EU nations and an increase in departures of international students, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday. Provisional ONS data shows that net migration for the year ending December 2024 is estimated at 431,000, a sharp fall from 860,000 in 2023. The decrease is mainly attributed to fewer arrivals on work and student visas from non-EU+ countries—which include all nations outside the EU, European Economic Area, and Switzerland—and a rise in emigration, particularly among former international students. The total number of long-term arrivals is expected to fall to 948,000, down from 1.33 million in 2023—a drop of nearly one-third, and the first time this figure has dipped below one million since March 2022. Meanwhile, long-term emigration rose by about 11% to 517,000, the highest level since mid-2017. Among non-EU+ nationals, work-related immigration experienced the largest decline, with the number of primary applicants for work visas decreasing by 108,000—nearly 49% lower than the previous year. There was also a steep drop in the number of student dependents (down 105,000 or 86%) and work dependents (down 81,000 or 35%). The number of main applicants for student visas fell by around 17%. The ONS report also noted that Indian nationals were the most common non-EU+ group to leave the UK in 2024. Emigration among the top five non-EU+ nationalities was primarily driven by education-related reasons, especially among Indian and Chinese students who left the country after completing their studies. The data comes shortly after the UK’s Labour government introduced its Immigration White Paper, which outlines stricter rules to curb legal migration. The proposals include tougher residency requirements, higher visa income thresholds, and the closure of some work visa routes.  

At least 51 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air and ground assaults across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to medical sources, as international aid organizations continued struggling to distribute limited humanitarian supplies entering the besieged enclave. Medical officials told Al Jazeera that the casualties include 25 people killed in Gaza City and the northern parts of the territory. In central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, 10 civilians — nine from the same family — were killed when an Israeli strike hit an area sheltering displaced people, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Another five people died in an attack on the Bakhit family’s home in the as-Saftawi area of northwest Gaza, according to Wafa. Meanwhile, in Beit Lahiya, a tank shell ignited a fire in a medicine warehouse inside Al-Awda Hospital, which rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish, the health ministry said. Tanks outside the hospital have reportedly made access nearly impossible. The violence comes as humanitarian agencies manage to bring in and distribute limited aid. The United Nations reported that around 90 trucks carrying food and medical supplies entered Gaza in recent days. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the shipments included wheat flour, medicine, and nutritional items. However, aid distribution faces major obstacles due to ongoing fighting, the threat of looting, and logistical coordination issues with Israeli authorities. UN spokesperson Jens Laerke noted that access to northern Gaza remains blocked, where thousands remain under siege. On Wednesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said 87 aid trucks were assigned to local and international organizations to address "urgent humanitarian needs." Al Jazeera’s Tarek Abu Azzoum reported that some bakeries in Deir el-Balah had resumed operations after receiving supplies, calling it a "significant logistical step," but warned that aid remains a mere "trickle" compared to the population’s urgent needs. Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday The UN continues to push for a daily minimum of 500 aid trucks to enter Gaza amid growing warnings of famine. The blockade has left the territory critically short on food, medicine, and other essentials. According to the UN, over half a million people — one in five in Gaza — are facing starvation. Pope Leo XIV called the humanitarian situation "painful and worrying" and urged for unrestricted aid delivery. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a new aid distribution system would be implemented soon, amid international criticism. He also announced plans to establish a so-called “sterile zone” in Gaza, free from Hamas, where civilians would be relocated and provided with supplies. Since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, Gaza’s health ministry says at least 3,509 people have been killed. The total death toll since the start of the war in October 2023 has risen to 53,655, according to Palestinian health authorities. Source: AL Jazeera  

The civil war in Myanmar, maritime disputes in the South China Sea and U.S. tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. The meeting in Malaysia, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The GCC already has strong links with the U.S. and “wants to be close to China too,” Anwar said. “We want to have that synergy to enhance trade investments, more effective collaboration,” Anwar said in a media briefing late Wednesday. ASEAN countries, many which rely on exports to the U.S., have been hit by U.S. tariffs ranging from 10% to 49%. U.S. President Donald Trump last month announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs, prompting countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to swiftly begin trade negotiations with Washington. Anwar said the U.S. has promised to review Malaysia's case “sympathetically.” He said ASEAN is also working together to see how it can negotiate with the U.S. as a bloc. At the same time, he said that ASEAN must build its economic resilience by deepening links with other partners such as China, India and the European Union. China, ASEAN media and think tanks urged to embrace AI, address its challenges Anwar said the U.S.-China rivalry would not split the bloc as the region continues to engage both superpowers. He also downplayed territorial disputes between ASEAN members and China in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, and Myanmar's conflict since the 2021 military takeover. Anwar met last month with Myanmar military chief Gen. Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and held virtual talks with the opposition National Unity Government. Even though the talks were focused on humanitarian aid following a devastating earthquake in March that killed more than 3,700 people, Anwar said he hopes they could eventually push a peace process forward. Ultimate goal is to join ASEAN as full member, says Dr Yunus seeking support from Thai elite Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from attending ASEAN meetings after the military refused to comply with ASEAN’s peace plan, which includes delivery of humanitarian aid and negotiations. Opponents and critics of the military government say aid is not freely allowed into areas not under the army’s control, and accuse the army of violating its self-declared ceasefire with dozens of airstrikes.

ICC prosecutors have urged judges to reject Israel's request to cancel arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant while the court reviews its jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank. In a 10-page document posted on the ICC's website on Wednesday, prosecutors assert there is "no basis" to revoke the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The warrants, issued in November, were based on findings that there was "reason to believe" they used "starvation as a method of warfare" by blocking humanitarian aid and deliberately targeting civilians during Israel's military actions against Hamas in Gaza. Israeli officials strongly deny these allegations. The submission, signed on behalf of prosecutor Karim Khan (who is currently on leave while an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations is conducted), argues the investigation should proceed due to the ongoing and escalating nature of the crimes. There is ‘no way’ Israel halts war in Gaza until Hamas defeated: Netanyahu Last month, appeals judges instructed a pretrial panel to revisit Israel’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction. Israel contends the ICC lacks authority to issue warrants for Israeli officials since it is not a member state, though the court recognizes "The State of Palestine" as one of its 126 member countries. In addition to the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC had also issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' armed wing, for his role in the October 7, 2023, attacks that led to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. That warrant was withdrawn in February after his death was confirmed in an Israeli airstrike.

Landslides struck a rural area in China's southwestern Guizhou province Thursday morning, leaving 21 people trapped, officials said. Rescuers were dispatched to Qingyang village, where eight households and 19 people were trapped in a landslide, while another landslide struck nearby Changshi township. The village is in a remote, mountainous area of the province. The People's Liberation Army in Guizhon and a local militia sent 120 people to help in the rescue, according to state broadcaster CCTV, in addition to 60 military police. Death toll in deadly flooding and landslides in Indonesia rises to 21 A resident of the village told state media that it had rained all night. A drone video of the area showed a large swathe of brown earth that cut through the green slope of the hilly terrain.