United News of Bangladesh

Germany’s economy is expected to stagnate this year amid rising pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade threats, according to a report released Wednesday by the country’s panel of independent economic advisers. Although Germany has the largest economy in Europe, it has not experienced meaningful growth over the past five years, with its gross domestic product contracting in both of the last two years. In its first forecast since Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s new government assumed office earlier this month, the advisory panel projected that the economy will remain stagnant this year, followed by a modest 1% growth in 2026. This marks a downgrade from its previous forecast in November, which anticipated 0.4% growth in 2025.  UK inflation hits highest level in over a year as domestic bills spike The updated outlook aligns with the forecast issued by Germany’s previous government about a month ago. Chancellor Merz, who assumed office on May 6, has committed to reducing bureaucratic hurdles, enhancing digital infrastructure, offering tax incentives to businesses, and supporting new European trade agreements. “Trump’s tariff policies are fueling uncertainty and threatening global economic growth,” said Monika Schnitzer, head of the advisory panel. However, she noted that a substantial investment package from Merz’s coalition “creates opportunities for infrastructure modernization in Germany and a shift back to a stronger growth trajectory,” offering hope for improved performance in the coming year. Germany, long a powerhouse in global exports, especially in sectors like industrial machinery and luxury automobiles, has come under growing competitive pressure from Chinese firms. Now, Trump’s trade measures are presenting an additional threat to German exports.  UK inflation hits highest level in over a year as domestic bills spike In 2024, the United States overtook China as Germany’s largest single trading partner for the first time since 2015, amid a decline in exports to China.

Thai officials on Wednesday said that they planned to tighten regulations on cannabis sales after cases of tourists attempting to smuggle the drug out of the country soared in recent months. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, which has boosted Thailand’s tourism and farming and spawned thousands of shops. But it’s facing public backlash over allegations that under-regulation has made the drug available to children and caused addiction, reports AP. The ruling Pheu Thai Party has promised to criminalize the drugs again, but faced strong resistance from its partner in the coalition government which supported the decriminalization. Thailand’s Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said at a press conference that officials are aiming to roll out new regulations in coming weeks that will tighten control on the sale of cannabis, including requiring shops to sell cannabis only to customers who have a prescription. He emphasised that it is against Thai law to bring cannabis out of the country without permission from the authorities. Airport officials said they have tightened inspections to detect smuggling attempts, adding that most people found with cannabis in their luggage are foreigners, especially Indian and British nationals. Thailand and Indonesia announce strategic partnership, vow to boost economic and defense ties Last week two young British women were arrested in Georgia and Sri Lanka for alleged attempts to smuggle cannabis after they flew there from Thailand, according to the British media. Britain's government said a joint operation with Thailand in February resulted in over 2 tons of cannabis seized from air passengers. It said that since July last year, over 50 British nationals had been arrested in Thailand for attempting to smuggle cannabis. It also said there was a dramatic increase in the amount of cannabis sent to the UK from Thailand by post since the decriminalisation in 2022. In March immigration authorities and police said 22 suitcases filled with a total of 375 kilograms of cannabis were seized, and 13 foreigners, most of them British, were arrested at the international airport on the Samui Island.

Inflation in the United Kingdom climbed to its highest point in over a year this April, driven by a wave of rising domestic expenses, including energy and water bills, according to official data released Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics reported that the Consumer Prices Index, its primary inflation gauge, rose by 3.5% in the year to April, up from 2.6% in March. This marks the highest rate since January 2024 and surpassed forecasts, which had predicted a more modest increase to 3.3%. The scale of the rise was also the largest recorded since October 2022, during the peak of the energy crisis following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Economists had expected a notable jump in inflation due to steep annual increases in a range of household bills in April, along with higher business taxes and a significant hike in the minimum wage.  EU to lift Syria sanctions, keep measures on former Assad regime Inflation is projected to remain above 3% throughout the rest of the year, potentially tempering hopes for further interest rate cuts from the Bank of England, which targets a 2% inflation rate. On Tuesday, the Bank’s chief economist, Huw Pill, indicated that interest rates may have been lowered too quickly, reflecting concerns about persistent inflationary pressures. Since beginning to reduce borrowing costs last August from a 16-year high of 5.25%, the Bank has made gradual cuts—lowering its main interest rate by 0.25 percentage points every three months. Earlier this month, it was reduced to 4.25%. Commenting on the latest inflation figures, Rob Wood, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said further rate cuts on a “precise quarterly schedule” now appear “far from certain.” Although inflation is set to stay above the Bank’s target this year, economists expect it to decline in 2025, partly due to the recent U.S.-UK trade agreement, which scrapped many of the tariffs previously proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.  1 dies, another goes missing as migrant-loaded boat sinks in English Channel

Hospitals in Gaza say Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 45 people, including several women and a week-old infant. The fresh strikes come as Israel’s war on Hamas shows no signs of relenting, despite a surge in international anger at Israel’s widening offensive. Israel began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into Gaza on Tuesday, but the aid has not yet reached Palestinians in desperate need, according to aid groups. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Tuesday evening that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time.  Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday Internal notes circulated among aid groups Wednesday and seen by The Associated Press said that no humanitarian trucks had left Kerem Shalom, the border crossing in southern Gaza that is operated by Israel. The notes said 65 trucks moved from the Israel side of the crossing to the Palestinian side, but hadn’t made it into Gaza. The Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid to Gaza said trucks were entering into Gaza on Wednesday morning, but it was unclear if that aid was able to continue into Gaza for distribution. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said they waited several hours to collect aid from the border crossing in order to begin distribution but were unable to do so on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the U.K. suspended free trade talks with Israel over its intensifying assault, a step that came a day after the U.K., Canada and France promised concrete steps to prompt Israel to halt the war. Separately, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was reviewing an EU pact governing trade ties with Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza. Israel says it is prepared to stop the war once all the hostages taken by Hamas return home and Hamas is defeated, or is exiled and disarmed. Hamas says it is prepared to release the hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory and an end to the war. It rejects demands for exile and disarmament. Israel called back its senior negotiating team from ceasefire talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, saying it would leave lower-level officials in place instead. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continued to pound Gaza. In the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel recently ordered new evacuations pending an expected expanded offensive, 24 people were killed, 14 of them from the same family. A week-old infant was killed in central Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes but has said it is targeting Hamas infrastructure and accused Hamas militants of operating from civilian areas.  At least 85 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, more aid allowed The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi won the International Booker Prize for fiction Tuesday for “Heart Lamp,” a collection of 12 short stories written over a period of more than 30 years and which chronicle the everyday lives and struggles of women in southern India. The award was announced by bestselling Booker Prize-longlisted author Max Porter in his role as chair of the five-member voting panel, at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern.  Thailand and Indonesia announce strategic partnership, vow to boost economic and defense ties It is the first time the award has been given to a collection of short stories. Bhasthi is the first Indian translator — and ninth female translator — to win the prize since it took on its current form in 2016. Mushtaq is the sixth female author to be awarded the prize since then. Written in Kannada, which is spoken by around 65 million people, primarily in southern India, Porter praised the “radical” nature of the translation, adding that “It’s been a joy” to listen to the evolving appreciation of the stories by members of the jury. “These beautiful, busy, life-affirming stories rise from Kannada, interspersed with the extraordinary socio-political richness of other languages and dialects," said Porter. ”It speaks of women’s lives, reproductive rights, faith, caste, power and oppression.” The book, which beat five other finalists, comprises stories written from 1990 to 2023. They were selected and curated by Bhasthi, who was keen to preserve the multilingual nature of southern India in her translation. Mushtaq, who is a lawyer and activist as well as writer, told a short list reading event on Sunday that the stories “are about women – how religion, society and politics demand unquestioning obedience from them, and in doing so, inflict inhumane cruelty upon them, turning them into mere subordinates.” The 50,000-pound ($66,000) prize money is to be divided equally between author and translator. Each is presented with a trophy too.  Philippines Senate race a blow to President Marcos as he feuds with Vice President Duterte The International Booker Prize is awarded every year. It is run alongside the Booker Prize for English-language fiction, which will be handed out in the fall.

A suicide bomber driving a car attacked a school bus in southwestern Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of five people, including at least three children, and injuring 38 others, according to authorities. The incident occurred near the city of Khuzdar while the bus was transporting students to a school run by the military, said local deputy commissioner Yasir Iqbal. Security forces quickly secured the site, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Television footage showed the bus severely damaged and debris strewn across the road. Though no group immediately claimed responsibility, suspicion has fallen on Baloch separatist groups, particularly the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has carried out numerous attacks in the region. The United States designated the BLA a terrorist organization in 2019. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the bombing, calling it a “barbaric act” targeting innocent children and vowed that the attackers would be held accountable. Initial reports said four children had died, but officials later confirmed that two adults were also among the deceased. Several of the wounded children remain in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll may rise. The Pakistani military issued a statement calling the attack "cowardly and horrific," blaming neighboring India and alleging that the attack was carried out by Indian-backed groups operating in Balochistan. Indian authorities have not commented, but India has repeatedly denied supporting the BLA or any other separatist movement in Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the military’s allegations, claiming the attack demonstrated India’s animosity toward education in Balochistan. He pledged to bring those responsible to justice but provided no evidence to support his claim. Tensions between Pakistan and India have been rising, particularly since recent escalations over the disputed Kashmir region. In that context, the BLA has even publicly appealed for Indian support—though India has not responded. Despite being Pakistan's largest province in terms of land area, Balochistan remains sparsely populated and is home to the country's ethnic Baloch minority, many of whom allege systemic discrimination by the central government. Violence in the province is not uncommon. In March, the BLA claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a train in Balochistan, killing 33 people, mostly military personnel. More recently, the group announced plans for continued operations targeting the Pakistani military and its allies, asserting their aim to establish an independent and stable Balochistan. While targeting schoolchildren is rare for separatist groups in Balochistan, such attacks have occurred elsewhere in Pakistan. In a grim reminder, the Pakistani Taliban carried out a massacre at a military-run school in Peshawar in 2014, killing 154 people, mostly children. In Pakistan, most educational institutions are operated by the government or private entities, although the military also runs many schools for both civilians and military families.  

Israel pressed ahead Tuesday with its new military offensive in Gaza despite mounting international criticism, launching airstrikes that health officials said killed at least 85 Palestinians. Israeli officials said they also allowed in dozens more trucks carrying aid. Two days after aid began entering Gaza, the desperately needed new supplies have not yet reached people in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, according to the United Nations. Experts have warned that many of Gaza's 2 million residents are at high risk of famine. Under pressure, Israel agreed this week to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into the Palestinian territory after preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel in an attempt to pressure the Hamas militant group. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that although the aid has entered Gaza, aid workers were not able to bring it to distribution points where it is most needed, after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time. COGAT, the Israeli defense body that oversees humanitarian aid, said five trucks entered Monday and 93 trucks entered Tuesday. But Dujarric said the U.N. confirmed only a few dozen trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday. The aid included flour for bakeries, food for soup kitchens, baby food and medical supplies. The U.N. humanitarian agency said it is prioritizing baby formula in the first shipments. But none of that aid actually reached Palestinians, according to the U.N. Dujarric described the new security process for getting aid cleared to warehouses as “long, complex, complicated and dangerous." He said Israeli military requirements for aid workers to unload and reload the trucks are hindering efforts to distribute the aid. COGAT did not immediately comment on the new procedures. The United Nations humanitarian agency received approval for about 100 trucks to enter Gaza, spokesman Jens Laerke said, which is far less than the 600 that entered daily during the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March. Israel's Foreign Ministry said dozens are expected to enter each day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he decided to let in limited aid after pressure from allies, who told him they couldn't support Israel while devastating images of starvation were coming out of Gaza. Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday U.K. suspends trade negotiations and sanctions settler movement But some close allies say the limited aid is not enough. The British government on Tuesday said it was suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and was leveling new sanctions targeting settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move came a day after the U.K, France and Canada condemned Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank and threatened to take action. “I want to put on record today that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament. Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein called the new sanctions “unjustified and regrettable" and claimed Israel and the U.K. had not been talking about free trade. The U.K. leveled sanctions against three settlers and a number of organizations, including settler leader Daniella Weiss and the movement she heads. In response, Weiss said hundreds of families are ready to build Jewish settlements in Gaza. Israel launched its new military operation in Gaza over the weekend, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group. More than 300 people have been killed in Gaza during the latest onslaught, according to health officials. Israeli politician criticizes killing ‘babies as a hobby’ Criticism against Israel's conduct in Gaza also came at home. A leader of center-left politics said Tuesday that Israel was becoming an “outcast among nations" because of the government's approach to the war. “A sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a population,” Yair Golan, a retired general and leader of the opposition Democrats party, told Reshet Bet radio. His comments were rare criticism from inside Israel of its wartime conduct in Gaza. Many Israelis have criticized Netanyahu throughout the war, but that has been mostly limited to what opponents argue are his political motives to continue the war. Criticism over the war's toll on Palestinian civilians has been almost unheard. UK, France, and Canada warn Israel of consequences over Gaza offensive Netanyahu swiftly slammed Golan's remarks, calling them “wild incitement” against Israeli soldiers and accusing him of echoing “disgraceful antisemitic blood libels” against the country. Golan, who donned his uniform during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack to join the fight against the militants, previously sparked an uproar when as deputy military chief of staff in 2016, he likened the atmosphere in Israel to that of Nazi-era Germany. At an evening news conference, Golan said he refused to be silent “because the meaning of silence is to join in the abandonment of the IDF and the abandonment of the hostages and the abandonment of the State of Israel.” He called on the opposition to band together to oppose the government’s plans for Gaza. Strikes pound Gaza as Netanyahu recalls negotiating team In the latest assaults, two strikes in northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22 people, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command center and warned civilians ahead of time. A strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 13 people, and another in the nearby built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15, according to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Two strikes in Khan Younis killed 10 people, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel said it was targeting militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because the group operates in densely populated areas. On Tuesday, Netanyahu said he was recalling his high-level negotiating team from the Gulf state of Qatar after a week of ceasefire talks failed to bring results. A working team will remain in the Qatari capital of Doha. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said a “fundamental gap” remained between the two parties and that none of the proposals were able to bridge their differences. Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 60 people, health officials say Hamas said no real ceasefire talks have taken place since Saturday in Doha. The group accused Netanyahu of “falsely portraying participation” and attempting to “mislead global public opinion” by keeping Israel’s delegation there without engaging in serious negotiations. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

A British climber who scaled Mount Everest for the 19th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak by a non-Sherpa guide, returned from the mountain Tuesday and said he is already planning his next attempt. Kenton Cool from southwest England, reached the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) summit Sunday before flying on a helicopter with his clients back to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. “I am 51 now, and I have been coming here since 2004 to climb Everest,” Cool said at Kathmandu's airport. “I have at least one more climb for next year — maybe 20 or 21 (total). After that I'll start climbing other mountains in Nepal.” Cool has scaled Everest almost every year since 2004. He was unable to climb it in 2014 because the season was canceled after 16 Sherpa guides were killed in an avalanche, and again in 2015 when an earthquake triggered an avalanche that killed 19 people. The 2020 climbing season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Only Nepali Sherpa guides have scaled the peak more times than Cool. Kami Rita holds the record for the most successful ascents of Mount Everest at 30 times. He is currently on the mountain and is expected to attempt to reach the top in the next few days. Famed Sherpa guide will attempt to climb Mount Everest for a 31st time and break his own record Cool said his climb was smooth and that he faced no problems, but he noticed that many climbers were trying to reach the peak on the same day. Hundreds of climbers and their guides are on the mountain during the popular spring climbing season, when weather conditions are most ideal on the peaks. “Mountaineering is an amazing sport which is open to everybody, but you just need to be part of it responsibly and we have seen some people coming to Everest — perhaps they do not have the experience that they should,” Cool said, adding that it was not necessary to limit the number of climbers each season. The climbing season finishes at the end of this month. Weather conditions then deteriorate with the monsoon season making climbing more difficult.

The European Union will lift sanctions on Syria's economy but keep those in place targeting the former Assad regime, the EU's top diplomat announced Tuesday. Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas spoke after chairing a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27-member bloc. She said the decision was designed to avert poverty and radicalism in the country after more than a decade of civil war sent millions fleeing, including to Europe, AP reports. The sanctions are “conditional” and could be resumed if the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa doesn’t keep the peace, Kallas said. “Saving lives must be our top priority on Syria," she said. The announcement came a week after US President Donald Trump's meeting with al-Sharaa and his announcement that the US would ease sanctions on Syria. Lifting sanctions could bring much-needed investment to Syria, which needs tens of billions of dollars to restore its battered infrastructure. An insurgency late last year unseated former Syrian President Bashar Assad and ended the civil war that decimated much of the country’s infrastructure. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and state-supplied electricity comes as little as two hours every day. UK halts trade talks with Israel, announces sanctions over West Bank settlers Earlier in the day, Kallas acknowledged concerns about sectarian conflict but said “we don't have a choice” but to lift sanctions and bolster the Syrian economy: “We actually either give them possibility to stabilize the country or we don’t do that and we have something like what we have in Afghanistan.” Kallas added, “There can be no peace without the path to economic recovery, and we all need a stable Syria." She did not provide details or timing on the lifting of sanctions. But a European Council statement said it would keep “sanctions based on security grounds, including arms and technology that might be used for internal repression. In addition, the EU will introduce additional targeted restrictive measures against human rights violators and those fueling instability in Syria.” Syrians had celebrated in streets across the country after Trump's announcement, and Arab leaders in neighbouring nations that host millions of refugees who fled Syria’s war praised it.

The UK suspended free trade talks with Israel on Tuesday and hit West Bank settlers with sanctions, less than a day after vowing “concrete actions” if Israel didn't stop its new military offensive in Gaza. Pressure from close allies is mounting on Israel following a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza that led to famine warnings. Even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis, AP reports. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the government couldn't continue talks on upgrading its existing trade agreement with an Israeli government pursuing what he called egregious policies in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “History will judge them," Lammy said. "Blocking aid. Expanding the war. Dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible. And it must stop.” Israeli’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, was summoned to the Foreign Office, where Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said he would call the 11-week blockade of aid to Gaza “cruel and indefensible.” The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was reviewing an EU pact governing trade ties with Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza. Kallas, speaking on Tuesday at a press conference in Brussels after chairing a meeting of foreign ministers, said “a huge majority” of member nations are “very keen on sending this message that the suffering of these people is untenable.” She did not provide clear details on timing and mechanisms for the review. Lammy said the UK was imposing sanctions on a further “three individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organizations supporting violence against the Palestinian community.” He said the illegal Israeli settlements were spreading across the West Bank “with the explicit support of this Israeli government.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, called the sanctions against West Bank settlers “unjustified and regrettable” and said the free trade agreement negotiations were not being advanced by the UK anyway. While Lammy’s words were welcomed by some in the House of Commons, others called for stronger action, suggesting economic sanctions against Israel and recognizing the state of Palestine. A handful of members shouted for him to call Israel’s actions “genocide,” though Lammy labeled it “extremism” and “monstrous.” Still others criticized the joint statement, saying it favoured Hamas. “Opposing the expansion of a war that has killed thousands of children is not rewarding Hamas,” Lammy said. Israel eases Gaza blockade slightly; only 5 aid trucks enter since Monday The UK announcement followed comments by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called children's suffering in Gaza “utterly intolerable” and repeated his call for a ceasefire. “I want to put on record today that we’re horrified by the escalation from Israel,” Starmer said. Earlier on Monday, Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in issuing one of the most significant criticisms by close allies of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the West Bank. The three leaders threatened to take “concrete actions” if the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not cease its renewed military offensive and significantly lift restrictions on humanitarian aid. Netanyahu called the statement “a huge prize” for Hamas. Starmer said a ceasefire was the only way to free the dozens of hostages Hamas still holds. He also called for increased shipments of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying the basic quantity allowed by Israel is “utterly inadequate.” “This war has gone on for far too long,” Starmer said. “We cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve.” While Israel allowed a first few trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to begin rolling into Gaza on Monday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described it as a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.” Israel said dozens more trucks entered Tuesday.