United News of Bangladesh

Authorities in Indonesia said Sunday that some residents on the flood-ravaged island of Sumatra have begun taking food and water to survive, as Sri Lankan officials confirmed that the death toll from floods and mudslides there has climbed to 193. Nearly a week after the Indonesian floods began, at least 303 people have been killed — a figure expected to grow as more victims are found — and thousands have been forced from their homes. The flooding triggered landslides, washed out roads, isolated communities and disrupted communications across parts of the island. Rescue efforts have been slowed by harsh weather and a shortage of heavy machinery. Aid has struggled to reach the worst-affected areas, including Sibolga city and Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra. Social media clips showed people rushing through damaged barriers, shattered glass and inundated streets in search of food, fuel and medicine, with some wading through waist-high water to reach wrecked convenience stores. Police spokesperson Ferry Walintukan said incidents of looting were first reported Saturday evening, noting that local police had been deployed to restore order. “The looting happened before relief supplies arrived,” he said. “Residents didn’t realise aid was coming and feared they would go hungry.” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said that 11 helicopters were dispatched from Jakarta the day after the disaster to deliver relief supplies, particularly to communities cut off by road, but unpredictable weather continues to disrupt the operations. Government footage showed military aircraft airdropping supplies, with survivors in North Tapanuli waving urgently toward the helicopters. Four navy vessels have also arrived at a nearby port to support the distribution of aid. Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, officials said 193 people have died in floods and landslides, while 228 remain missing. Close to 148,000 people have been driven from their homes and are currently staying in temporary shelters. Sri Lanka has faced relentless severe weather since last week, with conditions worsening on Thursday when heavy rain inundated homes, farmlands and roads and triggered landslides, particularly in the central tea-growing highlands. Meteorologists say Cyclone Ditwah, which formed in waters east of Sri Lanka, is expected to move toward India’s southern coast on Sunday.

Ukrainian naval drones have targeted two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, signaling an escalation in Kyiv’s efforts to disrupt Moscow’s war funding. The tankers, identified by Turkish authorities as the Kairos and Virat—both Gambian-flagged—were struck off the Turkish coast on Friday, with the Virat reportedly hit again on Saturday. No casualties were reported. BBC-verified footage shows waterborne drones speeding toward the vessels before detonating, sending flames and thick black smoke into the air. Both ships are part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” a network of aging tankers used to bypass Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The targeted vessels are on lists of sanctioned ships according to London Stock Exchange data. Sources told BBC Ukrainian that Ukraine deployed Sea Baby naval drones, produced by its security services (SBU). Turkish authorities assisted the vessels, releasing footage of boats attempting to extinguish the fire on the Kairos. The attacks are widely seen as a warning to any ship transporting Russian oil in the Black Sea, suggesting they may face direct strikes in addition to sanctions. Separately, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium halted oil loading in Novorossiysk after an overnight unmanned boat attack caused significant damage to a mooring point. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Western firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell are stakeholders in the consortium. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a delegation led by security official Rustem Umerov is en route to the United States to continue negotiations aimed at ending the war. Umerov succeeds chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who resigned following an anti-corruption investigation. The Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet U.S. officials in Florida, while former U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will conduct talks in Moscow next week. Source: BBC

US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” sparking sharp criticism from the Venezuelan government. Caracas denounced the statement as a “colonial threat” aimed at undermining the country’s sovereignty. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, addressing it to “Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers” rather than directly to President Nicolás Maduro. It remains unclear whether the statement represents a formal U.S. policy or is part of Trump’s ongoing campaign rhetoric against Maduro. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said the declaration constitutes a “hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act,” threatening the nation’s territorial integrity and aeronautical security. The statement also cited U.S. immigration authorities’ suspension of biweekly deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants—a program that had returned over 13,000 people to Venezuela this year. International airlines have recently canceled flights to Venezuela following Federal Aviation Administration warnings about the heightened military activity in the region. While the FAA’s authority is primarily domestic, it regularly issues global advisories to protect pilots from conflict zones. Trump’s administration has previously increased pressure on Maduro, whom the U.S. does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. U.S. forces have conducted bomber flights near Venezuelan waters, and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is currently stationed in the region, marking the largest U.S. military buildup there in decades. Concerns over the use of force have prompted bipartisan calls for oversight. Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, Republican Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed, said they will investigate U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, particularly following reports of verbal orders to kill all crew members in a September attack on suspected drug smugglers. Trump has reportedly explored both military and diplomatic channels, including a conversation with Maduro, though details of the discussion remain undisclosed.

Former military officers from Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship era and their families held an unusual public rally on Saturday, calling for the release of officers jailed for abuses committed during the junta’s rule — a move that critics say challenges the country’s long-standing promise of “Nunca Más,” or never again. The demonstration took place in Buenos Aires’ Plaza de Mayo, where the grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo have marched for decades demanding justice for thousands of people abducted and disappeared during the dictatorship. Their presence sparked anger among human rights activists and counter-protesters, who view the gathering as an alarming attempt to revise the nation’s history of state terrorism. The rally comes amid a political shift under President Javier Milei, who has repeatedly framed the dictatorship’s crimes as part of a broader conflict with leftist guerrilla groups. His vice president, Victoria Villarruel—long known for defending military personnel—has also pushed for recognition of what she calls “other victims” of the era. Human rights organizations accuse the government of legitimizing the junta’s widespread killings and disappearances, estimated at up to 30,000 people. Tensions rose further after Milei appointed Army chief Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto Presti as defense minister, making him the first military official since Argentina’s return to democracy to hold that post. Supporters at the rally argued that the armed forces have been unfairly vilified and demanded “moral restoration” for imprisoned officers. But relatives of dictatorship victims condemned the event as deeply offensive, especially given its location. Their outrage followed a U.N. report warning that Milei’s government is rolling back programs dedicated to truth and justice while boosting military spending. Milei officials deny undermining human rights protections, insisting they are committed to an “unbiased historical memory.”

Improved weather on Saturday helped rescuers on Indonesia's Sumatra island recover more bodies as they struggled to reach several areas that were hit by landslides and flash floods that left more than 300 dead and scores missing. Parts of Sumatra, known for its lush rainforests, volcanoes and mountain ranges, were cut off by damaged roads and downed communications lines, and relied on transport aircraft to deliver aid supplies. Rescue efforts were also hampered by a lack of heavy equipment. Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks. The deluge tore through mountainside village, swept away people and submerged thousands of houses and buildings in the three provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh. The death toll in North Sumatra rose to 166, while 90 people died in West Sumatra. Rescuers also retrieved 47 bodies in Aceh, said Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency. About 59,660 displaced families fled to temporary government shelters. Authorities used cloud seeding, which involves dispersing particles into clouds to create precipitation, to redirect rainfall away from the areas where search and rescue efforts were ongoing, said Suharyanto, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. In the Agam district in West Sumatra province, nearly 80 people were missing in three village, buried under tons of mud and rocks. There was a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors. Relatives wailed as they watched rescuers pull bodies from a buried house in Salareh Aia village. Images also showed massive piles of logs washed ashore on West Sumatra’s Air Tawar Beach, sparking public concern over possible illegal logging that may have contributed to the disaster. In Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra, authorities had difficulty deploying tractors and other heavy equipment. Hundreds of police, soldiers and residents dug through the debris with bare hands, shovels and hoes as heavy rain pounded the region. “The death toll is believed to be increasing, since many bodies are still missing, while many have not been reached,” said Suharyanto, the head of the government's disaster relief agency, who like many Indonesians only uses one name. TV reports showed two rescuers battling strong currents in a small rubber boat, moving toward a man clinging to a coconut tree. “There are many challenges,” Aceh Gov. Muzakir Manaf said after declaring a state of emergency until Dec. 11 to address the disaster. “We have to do many things soon, but conditions do not allow us to do so.” Local media said that flash floods in Bireuen district in Aceh collapsed ine bridges, paralyze two-way transportation from North Sumatra’s Medan city to Banda Aceh, and forced residents to cross the river from village to village by boat. It was the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Seasonal rains frequently cause flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.

Two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli fire in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said, highlighting tensions under a fragile ceasefire with Hamas. The brothers, aged 11 and 8, died when an Israeli drone struck near a school sheltering displaced people in Beni Suhaila, according to staff at Nasser Hospital, which received their bodies. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident. Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, at least 352 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but maintains detailed records widely regarded as reliable. Israel has said its strikes target militants violating the truce, but the deaths of civilians have strained the fragile agreement. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations. Hamas called on mediators Saturday to pressure Israel following the killing of the children. Israeli operations have also intensified on other fronts. Syrian officials said Israeli forces raided a village on Friday, killing at least 13 people after residents confronted troops. Israel said the operation targeted militants planning attacks and that troops were fired upon, injuring six. Strikes in Lebanon have increased, with Israel targeting Hezbollah sites to prevent rearmament. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians accused Israeli soldiers of killing two men after apparent surrender on Thursday. Israel said it is investigating the incident. Settler violence has also risen in the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 10 Palestinians were injured in attacks by settlers using live ammunition and beatings in Khallet al-Louza near Bethlehem. Meanwhile, a U.S. plan for Gaza’s future remains in early stages. The proposal calls for an international stabilization force, a transitional authority overseen by President Donald Trump, and envisions a potential path toward an independent Palestinian state.  

President Donald Trump on Friday said he intends to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in the United States in 2024 on drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump announced the decision on social media, saying that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.” Hernández, who served two terms leading the Central American nation of about 10 million people, was convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the country. He has been appealing his conviction while serving time at the U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia. Following Trump’s announcement, Hernández’s wife and children gathered outside their home in Tegucigalpa, kneeling in prayer and thanking God for his expected return. It was the same residence where he was taken into custody by Honduran authorities in 2022 before being extradited to the United States. His wife, Ana García, said the family had managed to speak with Hernández after the announcement. “He still didn’t know of this news and believe me, when we shared it his voice broke with emotion,” she said. She thanked Trump for what she called the correction of an injustice, claiming that Hernández had been targeted by drug traffickers and the “radical left.” Hernández’s lawyer Renato C. Stabile also praised the decision, saying “a great injustice has been righted.” Another attorney, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment. Trump included the pardon announcement in a broader endorsement of Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Sunday’s Honduran presidential election. Trump said the United States would be supportive if Asfura wins, but warned that “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad” if he loses. Asfura, a former mayor of Tegucigalpa, has campaigned on improving infrastructure while rejecting past accusations of embezzlement. His main rivals are Rixi Moncada of the ruling Libre party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. Trump described the election as a test for Honduras’ democratic future and warned the country could follow Venezuela’s trajectory if Asfura is defeated. He has kept pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ordering strikes on suspected drug-carrying vessels and deploying U.S. warships to the Caribbean. Trump has said he has not ruled out military or CIA action against Venezuela, though he has also suggested he is open to talks with Maduro. Outgoing Honduran president Xiomara Castro has maintained a pragmatic approach toward Washington, engaging with senior U.S. officials and backing away from threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation. Her government has also facilitated the return of deported migrants, including Venezuelans. Argentine president Javier Milei, an ally of Trump, also voiced support for Asfura on Friday, calling him the candidate best positioned to oppose “leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras.”  

Thousands of protesters rallied in the western German city of Giessen on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany prepared to launch its new youth organization. Some demonstrators clashed with police, who used pepper spray and later water cannons to disperse blockades. Police said stones were thrown at officers at one site, prompting the use of pepper spray. In another area, around 2,000 protesters refused to clear a road, leading authorities to deploy water cannons. The founding convention of the new AfD youth wing, expected to be named Generation Germany, was scheduled to take place at the Giessen convention center but had not begun two hours after its planned start. The group replaces the Young Alternative, an earlier youth organization formally cut off by the party and dissolved in March. AfD, which won more than 20 percent of the vote in February’s national election and is now the main opposition party, intends to keep tighter control over the new body. The Young Alternative had been classified as a right-wing extremist group by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, a label also applied to AfD itself before being suspended pending a legal challenge. A Cologne court last year upheld the extremist designation for the Young Alternative, citing its promotion of an ethnically defined German identity, agitation against migrants and asylum seekers and ties with extremist movements, including the Identitarian Movement. A higher court ended the appeal process in June after confirming the group’s dissolution. Germany’s political parties typically maintain youth branches that are often more ideological than the main organizations. It remains unclear whether AfD’s new group will differ significantly from its predecessor. Kevin Dorow, a delegate from Schleswig-Holstein who was previously active in the Young Alternative, said the new organization aims to continue its mission by attracting and training young people for future roles within the party. He said he had not seen a “drift in a radical direction” in the previous youth wing. AfD promotes itself as an anti-establishment party amid declining public trust in traditional politics. It first entered the national parliament in 2017, propelled by discontent over large-scale migration in the mid-2010s, and continues to campaign heavily on restricting migration while tapping into broader frustrations across the country.  

Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas killed at least three people early Saturday, local authorities said, just hours before a new round of peace negotiations was expected to begin amid growing international efforts to end the war. The Kyiv City Military Administration said two people died in attacks on the capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 29 others were injured, adding that debris from intercepted drones damaged residential buildings and caused power outages in the western part of the city. In the wider Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital, a separate combined drone and missile assault killed one woman and left eight others wounded, according to regional police. The latest strikes came as Ukrainian negotiators prepared to meet U.S. officials this weekend, an official from the presidential administration said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions. A U.S. delegation is expected to travel to Moscow next week for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. President Donald Trump last week released a 28-point plan to end the nearly four-year conflict. The proposal was seen as heavily favorable to Russia, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to quickly engage with U.S. negotiators. European leaders have also moved to influence the process, worried about the implications for regional security. Trump said Tuesday the plan had been refined and that envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow for talks with Putin, while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would meet Ukrainian officials. He added that he may meet both Putin and Zelenskyy at a later stage if negotiations advance. Zelenskyy on Friday announced the resignation of his chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who also served as Ukraine’s top negotiator, after anti-corruption investigators searched Yermak’s residence. The unprecedented search at the highest level of government has put pressure on Zelenskyy, raising concerns that Kyiv’s negotiating strategy could face disruption at a critical moment as the United States pushes for a peace agreement.  

United States President Donald Trump has intensified his immigration crackdown, declaring a “permanent pause” on migration from what he called “all Third World Countries” following a deadly shooting involving two National Guard members in Washington, DC. The announcement came after an Afghan national was identified as the prime suspect in Wednesday’s attack, which left one Guard member dead and another injured. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He did not define which countries fall under “third world”, a phrase often used to describe economically disadvantaged nations in the Global South. Trump also said “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country”, will be removed. He pledged to end all federal benefits and subsidies for “noncitizens”, “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity”, and deport anyone deemed a public charge, security risk, or “non-compatible with Western civilisation”. Trump links shooting to broader immigration overhaul After the arrest of Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, Trump called the shooting “an act of terror”. He told reporters: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.” On Thursday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended “all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” indefinitely. Its Director, Joseph Edlow, said on X that he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern”, following instructions from the president. Edlow said the move was necessary because “the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies”. The review will apply to citizens of nations included in Trump’s June travel ban list, which imposed full bans on Afghanistan, Chad, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. What does a ‘permanent pause’ mean? Experts say Trump’s new declaration lacks a legal definition. “In ordinary English, ‘permanent pause’ sounds final, but under immigration law, the term has no defined meaning,” said Indian Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Saxena. He said the term typically reflects an open-ended restriction that can still be challenged in court if it violates US laws. Migration analysts say the vague language is deliberate. Roberto Forin of the Mixed Migration Centre said the lack of clarity allows the administration to “indiscriminately intimidate migrant communities” while keeping flexibility for foreign policy bargaining. He warned the measure will likely hit poorer countries hardest while sparing states with strategic value to the US. “The objective of such announcements is to signal toughness, shift the narrative, instil fear and dehumanise migrants,” he said. Impact on people already in the US The consequences for migrants from affected countries remain unclear until the administration specifies which nations fall under the “pause”. A recent American Immigration Council report said the existing travel ban already prevents people in the US from visiting family abroad because their renewed visa applications may be denied. Saxena said restrictive policies will likely create delays, tougher background checks and extended processing times for nationals of affected countries. While existing residency cannot be revoked arbitrarily, past filings could come under audit. He added that the pause will likely halt the entry of spouses, children and parents waiting abroad, prolonging family separation and disrupting reunification programmes. With inputs from Al Jazeera