United News of Bangladesh

Hong Kong authorities are investigating possible corruption and severe negligence after a massive blaze swept through a residential complex this week, killing at least 128 people in the city’s worst fire disaster in decades. The fire erupted Wednesday at the Wang Fuk Court estate in the city’s northern New Territories, engulfing seven of its eight residential towers. The complex housed nearly 4,800 people, some of whom had warned officials last year about fire safety risks linked to ongoing renovation work. Police initially arrested three construction workers on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence, later releasing them on bail. Another eight individuals — scaffolding subcontractors, engineering consultants and renovation project managers — were detained as part of a widening corruption probe. Authorities did not name the company involved, though documents from the homeowners’ association list Prestige Construction & Engineering as the main contractor. Boxes of records have been seized from its offices. Investigators are focusing on the materials used in the renovation, particularly the scaffolding netting and highly flammable foam panels. Early findings suggest the blaze began in the lower-level scaffolding net before spreading rapidly as foam insulation caught fire, said Security Secretary Chris Tang. Fire officials also discovered that several alarms in the estate, which houses many elderly residents, failed to activate. Firefighters battled the inferno for 40 hours, prioritizing units from which emergency calls had been received. Seventy-nine people were injured, including 12 firefighters, and one firefighter died in the operation. Smoke continued to drift from the charred towers even two days later. Rescuers have now completed searches, though more bodies may be recovered. Authorities say 89 sets of remains are awaiting identification, while roughly 200 people were initially reported missing. Among the victims were two Indonesian domestic workers, and 11 more remain unaccounted for, Indonesia’s foreign ministry said. Flags across the city flew at half-mast on Saturday as Chief Executive John Lee led officials in a three-minute silence to honour the dead. The tragedy marks Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since a 1996 commercial building blaze killed 41 people, and the deadliest overall since a 1948 warehouse fire claimed 176 lives.

Emergency crews in Indonesia faced immense difficulties Saturday as they attempted to reach survivors in several remote areas of Sumatra that were devastated by a combination of earthquakes, floods and landslides, with authorities reporting at least 248 confirmed deaths. Severely damaged roads, collapsed bridges and disrupted communication lines left many communities cut off, forcing relief teams to rely on aircraft to deliver essential supplies to Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra and other isolated districts. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the number of injured has surpassed 500. A week of monsoon rains triggered rivers to overflow, sending torrents of water, mud and rocks through villages and sweeping away homes. Thousands of houses were inundated, and nearly 3,000 families have taken shelter in government-run facilities. In West Sumatra’s Agam district, rescuers continued to uncover bodies from deep mud, bringing the region’s death toll to at least 74, while more than 70 people remain missing. Scenes of grief unfolded as families watched recovery teams pull victims from buried homes in Salareh Aia village. Efforts in neighboring Aceh province were similarly hindered, with heavy rainfall blocking access routes and limiting the arrival of essential machinery. Police, soldiers and villagers dug with hand tools as persistent downpours slowed operations. Officials warned that the toll would likely rise as many areas remain unreachable. Aceh’s governor declared an emergency through Dec. 11, noting dire shortages of fuel, clean water and generators. Local media reported that flash floods had collapsed nine bridges in Bireuen district, cutting off key transportation routes and forcing residents to use boats to move between villages. Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” regularly faces deadly natural disasters, and seasonal rains often trigger severe flooding and landslides across the vast island nation.

Government officials claim that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s attempt to meet jailed PTI founder Imran Khan violates prison regulations, an assertion strongly contested by the PTI, which says its court-sanctioned visiting schedule is being ignored. According to prison authorities and former officials, all inmates in Punjab — including political detainees— are entitled to meet up to five people each week, including lawyers and family members. They are also allowed 30 minutes of phone calls weekly, conducted through monitored public call offices inside Adiala Jail. Even death-row prisoners receive similar visitation and call allowances, reports DAWN. Political detainees are typically housed in special high-security cells and undergo daily medical check-ups. However, these privileges depend on an inmate’s “good behaviour”, giving jail superintendents wide discretion in permitting or blocking access. Those involved in terrorism or anti-state activities may lose these privileges entirely. Officials say visitation rights can also be suspended if authorities fear unrest. This has become a key issue for PTI, as jail officials often cite protests and media briefings held by Imran Khan’s visitors — particularly after meetings involving his sister Aleema Khan — as reasons to restrict access. While the government insists that meetings require explicit judicial approval, PTI leaders argue that even their court-approved Tuesday and Thursday meetings are being denied arbitrarily. Senator Rana Sanaullah, however, has supported limited family visits, while insisting that prison meetings cannot turn into lengthy press conferences. Past cases reflect similar practices. Leaders such as Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Safdar Awan previously used phone facilities due to “good behaviour”. Veteran journalists also recall that prisoners provide approved visitor lists in advance, though political infighting within PTI over control of Imran Khan’s visitor list has added further complications.

The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka has climbed to 123, while another 130 people remain unaccounted for, officials said Saturday. According to the country’s Disaster Management Center, nearly 44,000 residents have been forced from their homes and are now staying in temporary shelters. Authorities warned that the number of fatalities could rise further as rescuers struggle to reach several remote areas hit by mudslides overnight. Images circulating on social media showed entire slopes collapsed onto villages and roads that emergency teams have yet to access. Sri Lanka has endured days of severe weather, which intensified on Thursday when torrential rain pounded large parts of the island. Homes, farmland and road networks were submerged, while numerous landslides were reported across the central highlands, known for their tea estates. In response, the government suspended office operations and closed all schools, also postponing scheduled examinations. Overflowing rivers and reservoirs have blocked major highways, while fallen trees, mud and debris have made rail lines unusable. Passenger train services were halted, and authorities closed several key roads nationwide. By Friday, floodwaters began moving downstream from the worst-hit regions, inundating low-lying areas around the capital, Colombo, which had initially seen lighter rainfall compared to the interior. Cyclone Ditwah formed over the seas east of Sri Lanka and is expected to track toward India’s southern coast by Sunday, officials said. Weather forecasters predict more rainfall on Saturday as the storm system passes over the northern regions of the country.  

Sri Lanka closed government offices and schools Friday (November 28) as the death toll from widespread floods and landslides climbed to 56, with over 600 homes reported damaged, officials said. The country has been facing severe weather since last week, which intensified Thursday (November 27) with heavy rainfall that submerged homes, farmland, and roads, and triggered landslides nationwide. At least 25 people were killed Thursday in landslides in the central mountainous tea-growing districts of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, roughly 300 kilometers east of the capital Colombo. In these areas, another 21 people are missing and 14 were injured, according to the government’s disaster management center. Additional fatalities occurred in landslides elsewhere in the country. As conditions worsened, the government ordered all schools and government offices to remain closed Friday. Read more: Over 20 killed, 14 missing as intense rainfall sparks landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka Overflowing rivers and reservoirs have blocked many roads, forcing authorities to suspend passenger train services and close roadways in several regions. Landslides and floodwaters, along with fallen rocks, mud, and trees, disrupted both roads and railway lines. Local television footage showed an air force helicopter rescuing three people stranded on a flooded rooftop Thursday, while the navy and police used boats to evacuate residents. Another video showed a car swept away by floodwaters near the eastern town of Ampara, killing three passengers.

The man accused of shooting two National Guard service members near the White House now faces a first-degree murder charge after one of the victims died, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday. Authorities are still working to determine why the attack happened. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were critically injured in Wednesday’s shooting. President Donald Trump said Thursday evening that Beckstrom had succumbed to her injuries. Prosecutors said the suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal — who previously worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War — has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill. The Trump administration also announced Friday that it is suspending all asylum rulings and pausing visa processing for Afghan passport holders. US will 'permanently pause' migration from 'third world countries': Trump Beckstrom and Wolfe were in Washington with the West Virginia National Guard as part of Trump’s initiative to federalize the D.C. police force. Trump has also attempted to send Guard units to other cities to support his mass deportation plans, though some efforts have been blocked in court. Asylum decisions frozen Trump described the shooting as a “terrorist attack,” blaming the Biden administration for admitting Afghans who assisted U.S. forces during the war. The president has repeatedly called for halting migration from poorer countries and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Joseph Edlow, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, wrote on X that asylum decisions are suspended “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” Experts note that the U.S. already has strict vetting procedures, and asylum processing delays have grown under Trump. Pirro told Fox News that additional charges against Lakanwal are likely and expressed condolences to Beckstrom’s family. Investigators are searching properties in Washington state, where Lakanwal lived, and other locations nationwide. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with National Guard members in D.C. on Friday and led a prayer for the two soldiers. He and his wife visited Wolfe in the hospital Thursday night. Wolfe remains in very critical condition, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said, ordering state flags to half-staff in Beckstrom’s honor. Lakanwal’s background Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, according to a former landlord. Neighbors described him as quiet, polite, and struggling to find steady work. He briefly delivered packages through Amazon Flex between July and August. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era initiative that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal. Although he applied for asylum under Biden, #AfghanEvac said his asylum was approved during Trump’s term. In a Thanksgiving message, Trump said Lakanwal “went nuts.” A man identifying himself as Lakanwal’s cousin told the AP that Lakanwal had served in a CIA-backed Afghan special forces unit known as the Zero Units, first as a security guard in 2012 and later as a team leader and GPS specialist. These units were involved in front-line operations and played a major role in securing Kabul airport during the U.S. exit. On Wednesday night, Trump called for a full review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the 2021 resettlement program. Although critics claim the vetting process was insufficient, advocates say the screening was extensive and necessary to protect Afghans threatened by the Taliban. Tributes to Beckstrom Beckstrom joined the National Guard in 2023 after graduating high school and served as a military police officer in the 863rd Military Police Company. The Guard described her as a model soldier who showed “leadership, dedication, and professionalism” and volunteered for Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful. Trump called her an “incredible person” and “outstanding in every single way.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance a pipeline project linking Alberta’s oil reserves to the Pacific Coast, a move that could lead to easing a longstanding tanker ban off British Columbia. Carney’s backing for the plan triggered turmoil within his government and prompted the resignation of cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, a former environment minister and lifelong environmental advocate who had been serving as culture minister. He said he could not support a project that might cross the Great Bear Rainforest and increase the risk of coastal tanker spills, though he will continue as a Liberal MP. Carney said he respected Guilbeault’s decision to remain in Parliament, adding that Canada must diversify its export markets as U.S. tariffs continue to unsettle investors. He has set a target to double non-U.S. exports within a decade. Alberta’s premier said the initiative could open access to more than one million barrels of oil per day for Asian markets, reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States. Carney echoed that view, saying the country’s once-beneficial economic interdependence with the U.S. has become a vulnerability, with more than 95 percent of Canadian energy exports currently going south. He said the agreement is only the start of a process and stressed the need for a private-sector partner to make the pipeline viable. The framework also calls for engaging British Columbia, where coastal First Nations and environmental groups have long opposed oil tankers. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved one major Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline in 2016, but the federal government had to build it amid legal challenges and resistance. Trudeau rejected a separate proposal, the Northern Gateway project, which would have carried over half a million barrels a day through the Great Bear Rainforest. British Columbia Premier David Eby criticized the new pipeline push, saying lifting the tanker ban would undermine existing coastal projects and agreements with First Nations. He noted that no company is currently backing the proposal, calling it a “distraction.” Coastal First Nations President Marilyn Slett said the communities have “zero interest” in co-owning or benefiting from a project that threatens their territory and way of life. The agreement links the pipeline initiative with a proposed carbon capture project, and federal and provincial officials say both must proceed together. Ottawa and Alberta will work with companies to identify new emissions-reduction projects by April 1, with rollout beginning in 2027.  

Israeli forces on Thursday shot dead two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they appeared to surrender, prompting Palestinian officials to accuse Israel of executing them in cold blood. The Israeli military said the incident is under investigation. Footage aired by Palestine TV and Egypt’s Al-Ghad showed the men emerging from a garage in Jenin with their hands raised and shirts lifted to show they carried no explosives. The videos show them forced to the ground, kicked, then ordered back toward the garage before gunfire erupts. The men collapse as troops surround them, and at least one soldier is seen firing. Israeli authorities said the pair were wanted militants who had thrown explosives and opened fire at troops. They said that after the men surrendered, “fire was directed toward the suspects,” adding that the case is under review. Palestinian officials identified the victims as Al-Muntasir Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37. The Palestinian prime minister’s office called the deaths an extrajudicial killing and a violation of international humanitarian law. Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the forces involved, saying “terrorists must die.” The incident drew comparisons to the 2017 case of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria, convicted of manslaughter for killing an already wounded Palestinian attacker. The shooting comes amid a wider Israeli operation in the northeastern West Bank, where more than 100 people have been detained since Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club. Israel says the raids target attempts to build militant strongholds. Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war. Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli raids and settler attacks have intensified, often with little accountability. Israel also carried out new airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying the strikes aim to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. The UN says Israeli strikes have killed at least 127 civilians in Lebanon since last year’s ceasefire. Tensions rose this week after a rare Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff. Meanwhile, an American teenager, Mohammed Ibrahim, was released after nine months in Israeli detention. His family said he appeared thin and pale, with signs of scabies. The 16-year-old was arrested during a family visit to the West Bank for allegedly throwing stones at settlers, a claim he said he confessed to only after being threatened during interrogation.  

President Donald Trump said Thursday that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House by an Afghan national has died, describing the suspect as a “savage monster.” Trump told U.S. troops during a Thanksgiving call that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had succumbed to her injuries, while Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition. “She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Trump said, calling Beckstrom an “incredible person” and noting that he had spoken with her parents. The president labeled the incident a “terrorist attack” and blamed the previous administration for allowing Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war to resettle in the United States. He held up a photo of Afghan evacuees from the 2021 Kabul airlift and suggested the shooter had suffered mental trauma after the war. Authorities identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and later applied for asylum, which was approved under Trump’s tenure, according to the advocacy group #AfghanEvac. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in what she described as an “ambush-style” attack. He initially faced charges of assault with intent to kill and weapons violations, which are expected to be upgraded following Beckstrom’s death. The suspect was also wounded but was not believed to be in life-threatening condition. The rare attack on National Guard members on American soil has sparked renewed debate over the administration’s deployment of troops in U.S. cities. Nearly 2,200 Guard members are currently stationed in Washington, where they have been patrolling streets, transit hubs and checkpoints. After the shooting, officials ordered an additional 500 troops to the capital. Details emerging from Afghanistan show Lakanwal previously served in the CIA-supported Zero Units, which played a frontline role in the war and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. Sources said he had been a team leader and GPS specialist and had worked in the conflict-heavy province of Kandahar. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal’s connection with the U.S. government ended shortly after the 2021 evacuation. Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, according to his former landlord. Following the shooting, Trump called for a review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the previous administration. The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said the agency would impose additional screening measures for people from 19 “high-risk” countries, though he did not specify which ones.  

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a goodwill visit, state media reported Friday, becoming only the second foreign leader to set foot in the country since the military seized power in 2021. The trip comes weeks before a national election widely dismissed by critics as neither free nor fair. Lukashenko’s presence is seen by opponents of the junta as offering symbolic backing to the polls. Belarus has emerged as one of the junta’s strongest supporters after the military takeover, alongside China and Russia. Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who heads Myanmar’s military government, has visited Belarus twice this year. Both countries are seen internationally as authoritarian regimes. Myanmar’s generals remain heavily sanctioned and isolated by Western nations for removing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and for the widespread human rights abuses committed during the crackdown on anti-junta resistance. The only other foreign leader to visit Myanmar since the coup was Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2022, when he chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, Lukashenko landed Thursday night at Naypyitaw’s military airport, where Prime Minister Nyo Saw and other senior officials received him with full state honors, including cultural performances. The report said Lukashenko is expected to meet Min Aung Hlaing for talks on expanding cooperation across multiple sectors. Both sides are set to sign agreements and memorandums of understanding during the visit. During Min Aung Hlaing’s March trip to Belarus, Lukashenko pledged to support the upcoming election and said he would send observers to monitor it. Rights groups and opposition forces have criticized the election as an attempt to legitimize military rule. Several armed resistance groups have vowed to disrupt the vote. Justice For Myanmar, a rights organization that tracks the junta’s financial and military networks, said Belarus has supplied arms, equipment and training that strengthen Myanmar’s defense capabilities and its domestic weapons production. It said transfers have included air defense command systems, radar technology and ground-based missile systems.