United News of Bangladesh

More than a month of unrest that started with protests in high schools for more funding and teachers is testing Macron’s authority in the final months of his presidency before voters choose his successor in May. The stakes are high: The far-right National Rally party has accused his government of failing to protect the public and urged people to channel their anger into votes for its candidate Marine Le Pen. On the far left, presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has backed demonstrators and criticized policing that has left some teenage protesters with life-changing injuries. As dusk fell Saturday, violence erupted at the end of some of the 289 protests counted by the Interior Ministry nationwide. Street fires burned in the cities of Marseille and Lyon. Police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Bordeaux and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Nice, far-right extremists fought with demonstrators downtown and 11 people were arrested, regional authorities said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police made nearly 1,000 arrests but added that the number is expected to increase significantly as more are counted. Nuñez said beefed-up policing, with 70,000 officers backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and other support, helped prevent a repeat of widespread looting and damage to shops the previous weekend.  

Pakistan urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Saturday to take verifiable action against militants it says operate from Afghan territory, dismissing Kabul’s assertion that Islamabad was shifting blame for its own security failures. In a separate statement on X, Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected allegations that it was arming Afghans to fight the Taliban or recruiting them to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had cited reports of both activities a day earlier. The exchanges come amid heightened tensions between the two sides over militant activity, repeated border clashes and Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, deepening a longstanding dispute over responsibility for cross-border violence. Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. He offered no evidence, and did not identify the sources of those reports. Last month, Afghanistan said its forces killed 28 fighters and captured 32 others, including alleged members of the Islamic State group said to have crossed from neighboring Pakistan. Pakistan frequently accuses Kabul of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as well as the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, an affiliate of the global extremist network. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban. On Friday, the Afghan Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Kabul was not responsible for insecurity in Pakistan. He accused Pakistani military and security agencies of shifting blame when they failed to maintain security at home. He said Kabul had neither an interest in destabilizing Pakistan nor the capability to foment or finance unrest in other countries. In Islamabad, the Information Ministry on X said those assertions did not address what it described as documented security concerns. It cited attempted cross-border infiltration, the deaths of Afghan nationals and members of militant groups during Pakistani counterterrorism operations, and the recovery of foreign-origin weapons as matters requiring scrutiny. According to the ministry, the U.S. report covering January through March 2026 estimated the strength of the Pakistani Taliban at 4,000 to 6,000 fighters. Pakistan is currently conducting multiple operations against militants near the Afghan border. The ministry said these security measures were aimed at targeting militant threats, not the Afghan people. It urged the Taliban government to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for militant organizations, including the TTP and the BLA, and prevent Afghan territory from being used to plan or launch attacks against Pakistan. Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, with much of it blamed on TTP and BLA. Pakistan says many TTP leaders and BLA insurgents have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021, an allegation Kabul denies. Pakistani authorities say more than 2,800 militant attacks since January have killed 3,000 people across Pakistan, mainly in the northwest and Balochistan province.

Iran remains open to negotiations with the United States under a Pakistan-brokered interim agreement reached in June to end the conflict, Tehran’s ambassador to Islamabad said Saturday, accusing Washington of undermining diplomacy over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had conveyed through Pakistan its willingness to reopen the strategic waterway if Washington lifted its naval blockade, ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said. He accused President Donald Trump of rejecting the proposal by insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would remain. Pakistan and Qatar helped broker the June agreement, which aimed to restore shipping through the strait, lift the US blockade and launch broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. Speaking at a seminar in Islamabad, Moghadam said Iran conveyed its position during visits to Tehran by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir. He also said Tehran would review the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey before deciding whether to support it, describing it as a potential tool for unity. “We will study the Mecca Agreement, and if it is good, we will support it,” he said. The agreement followed renewed attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saudi Arabia. The signatories said it would strengthen collective deterrence and defence cooperation. Turkey has submitted the agreement to parliament for ratification. Turkish and Pakistani officials say it is defensive and targets no country. Turkey has ruled out sending troops to Yemen to attack the Houthis, while Pakistan says its role would remain strictly defensive.

Thousands of students and workers marched in Paris and other French cities on Saturday to demand better education funding and relief from rising living costs, putting President Emmanuel Macron under pressure amid concerns over renewed violence following last weekend’s riots and looting. Police used tear gas in Lyon, where authorities had banned the rally, while officers in Clermont-Ferrand deployed tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators attempting to reach the city centre, French media reported. France’s Interior Ministry said 35,000 people had demonstrated nationwide by 1pm, compared with 60,000 at the same time a week earlier. Authorities planned to deploy up to 70,000 officers, supported by helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons, to prevent further looting, car burnings and attacks on public buildings. In Paris, authorities restricted the march to the southeastern outskirts of the city. Tens of thousands of people were seen marching from Porte d’Italie, although the crowd appeared smaller than the previous week. Trade unions led the procession, followed by demonstrators carrying flags and placards. The protests began last month over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris but have since spread nationwide, drawing students demanding better educational facilities and workers seeking higher wages and pensions. Energy prices in France rose 21.3% in September from a year earlier, contributing to overall inflation of 3.1%, according to the national statistics agency INSEE. Macron met high school representatives on Friday. They said he had promised reforms to university admissions but insisted that protests would continue until concrete measures were announced. More than 500,000 people took to the streets last Saturday, when around 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted. Security tightened across France Shopkeepers in Paris boarded up their storefronts, while gendarmes guarded the area beneath the Arc de Triomphe. Several major museums, including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais, remained closed on Saturday. Art Basel, a major contemporary art fair that opened to the public on Friday, cancelled its weekend programme because of concerns over unrest. Police also changed the route of the Paris march. At Bastille, the original starting point, officers used loudspeakers to order people to leave or face a 135-euro fine. Soumaya Abed, a 58-year-old nurse and CGT union member, said she had participated in protests for more than 30 years but had never seen a march begin at Porte d’Italie. She accused authorities of using last weekend’s violence as an excuse to restrict demonstrations, saying it would not stop students from demanding better school conditions. Authorities banned rallies in several cities, including Nice, Montpellier and Lyon. Trade unions criticised the restrictions as violations of constitutionally protected freedom of expression. Thousands also marched peacefully in Orléans, south of Paris, against the far right as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally held a two-day congress there. Macron’s popularity has fallen to its lowest level since he took office in 2017. He has defended the security measures as necessary to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings. Interior Minister Nuñez acknowledged on Monday that police had lost control in some cities during last weekend’s unrest. He offered to resign, but Macron rejected the offer. Students demand more university places Student groups are demanding 250,000 additional places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, the national university admissions system. Their 10-point plan also calls for more teachers and repairs to schools and universities. According to Education Ministry figures, public middle and high schools lost 15.4 million teaching hours during the 2024-25 school year because absent teachers were not replaced, accounting for 7.5% of scheduled teaching time. Students are also seeking financial assistance, including an additional 200 euros a month in grants and a freeze on rents in public student housing. “The money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people,” said Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and art teacher at Saint-Denis University.

Italy deployed 500 additional soldiers to Milan on Saturday as authorities tightened security ahead of fresh protests, a week after looting and clashes with police. The deployment will reinforce hundreds of troops already stationed in the city and support around 5,000 police and other security personnel. Luxury stores, including Gucci, Tiffany and Omega, boarded up their windows amid fears of renewed violence. Police said last weekend’s unrest involved around 2,000 young protesters, with 45 people arrested, including 34 minors. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said soldiers lacked some equipment needed for public-order operations. Protests also took place in Rome, while demonstrations spread across Europe over issues including education, corruption, pensions, housing costs and opposition to war. In Albania’s capital Tirana, riot police used water cannons against protesters demanding lower tuition fees and action against corruption. Some demonstrators also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. In Madrid, thousands marched to demand protection for public pensions ahead of next month’s snap election. Housing affordability remains another major concern in Spain, where rising rents and home prices have triggered widespread protests. In Lisbon, protesters prepared to march for affordable housing, opposing government measures to ease rent-increase restrictions and facilitate the eviction of tenants who fail to pay.

Ukraine and Russia have expressed willingness to resume US-mediated peace negotiations and supported a humanitarian initiative led by US First Lady Melania Trump, but unresolved disputes over territory and security guarantees continue to hinder efforts to end the war. The diplomatic push comes after more than four and a half years of fighting. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow announced a local ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach a stranded town in Ukraine’s divided southern Kherson region next week, following secret consultations involving Melania Trump and civilian negotiators from both countries. The move raised hopes for further humanitarian efforts, but there were few signs of a shift in the two sides’ positions. Russia continues to demand territory it does not fully control, while Ukraine insists on firm guarantees against another invasion. Within hours of Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing “in principle” to restart talks, Russia launched deadly ballistic missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Moscow also claimed to have destroyed more than 800 Ukrainian drones heading towards Russian cities. US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff secured the latest commitment after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin during visits to Oslo and St Petersburg. The next round of talks, the fourth under the Trump administration, is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi around mid-November, according to the Kremlin. The previous round was held in Geneva in February. Relations between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy have deteriorated, while Moscow has benefited from a US deal to buy Russian diesel and Trump’s rejection of new sanctions against Russia. Kyiv has also faced disruptions to satellite support for its drones after rejecting Trump’s call to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Meanwhile, Witkoff secured the release of an American imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. His description of Putin as a “humanitarian” drew criticism in Ukraine. Territory remains a major obstacleRussia demands control of four Ukrainian regions it annexed in 2022 Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as well as Crimea, seized in 2014. Moscow occupies about 20% of Ukraine but has not captured all the territory it claims. The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to withdraw from the four regions, abandon its NATO ambitions, reduce its military and lift restrictions on the Russian language and a Moscow-linked Orthodox Church branch. Putin said Thursday that Russia remained ready to negotiate but insisted that all objectives of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” would be achieved. Zelenskyy argues that surrendering territory would leave Ukraine exposed to future attacks. He supports a ceasefire freezing current front-line positions, followed by negotiations, while Moscow rejects a halt to fighting before a comprehensive settlement is reached. Security guarantees unresolvedPrevious discussions have failed to resolve how Ukraine would be protected after a peace deal. Kyiv considers Western-backed security guarantees essential and wants to maintain a strong military supported by its allies. NATO membership remains its preferred option, but Putin opposes it and the US administration has ruled it out for now. Other proposals include direct US guarantees in an “Article 5-like format” and support from the European-led 30-country Coalition of the Willing. NATO’s Article 5 treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. “All of these guarantees are possible on the basis of a strong Ukrainian army — in terms of both numbers and quality with clear funding, and not a small amount. Our colleagues in Europe and America know this,” Zelenskyy told reporters Thursday. Following this week’s attacks on Kyiv and other cities, Zelenskyy called for greater Western pressure on Moscow to change its approach to negotiations. “It is important to keep trying to find the right solutions to end this war,” he wrote online. “But when Russia responds to negotiations with ballistic missiles, real pressure on Russia is needed to bring about different steps steps toward ending the killing.”

A fire severely damaged Adolf Hitler’s former mountain retreat, known as the Eagle’s Nest, in the Bavarian Alps, with firefighting operations continuing on Saturday, German authorities said. A person has been detained in connection with the blaze. The local tourism authority said the building had sustained extensive damage and it remained uncertain whether parts of the structure could be preserved. Police said a fire alarm at the building in Germany’s southeastern Berchtesgaden district was triggered at around 9:15pm on Friday. Firefighters approaching the site, located on a cliff 1,834 metres (6,017 feet) above sea level, could see flames, according to a police statement. The site’s difficult location made it challenging to bring fire engines to the scene. Efforts to extinguish the blaze continued on Saturday morning, police said, adding that respiratory protection equipment was required to access the building and its immediate surroundings. Firefighters found no one inside the building, and authorities currently believe there were no injuries. Police said a person had been detained as a possible suspect, although investigators had yet to establish whether the individual was connected to the fire. The building, officially known as the Kehlsteinhaus, was completed in 1938. It can be reached by an elevator from the end of a winding mountain road that passes through several tunnels. The road is closed to public traffic but is used by buses transporting visitors. Since 1952, the building has operated as a cafe and restaurant and houses an exhibition documenting its history. It was closed to visitors on Friday before the fire broke out.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in China for his first visit to the country in a year, South Korea’s government said Saturday, as Pyongyang seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing amid growing alignment with Moscow. According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, Kim appeared to have arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after crossing a newly opened bridge connecting the two countries. The ministry did not immediately provide further details. The opening of the New Yalu River Bridge this month has been viewed by experts as a symbol of closer ties between the two countries and their efforts to expand trade. The bridge is expected to support round-the-clock traffic in both directions, including container shipments and heavy trucks. North Korean state media had not reported the visit, while China’s Foreign Ministry press office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation. Japan’s Kyodo News agency, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, reported earlier Saturday that Chinese authorities had imposed strict traffic restrictions in parts of Dandong and hotel rooms in those areas were unavailable for booking. Kim has recently moved to strengthen relations with China, Pyongyang’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline, after prioritising ties with Russia for several years. North Korea has sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, reportedly in return for possible military and economic assistance. The visit is Kim’s sixth to China since he took power in late 2011 following the death of his father. It comes ahead of the October 25 anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950. The war began when North Korea launched a surprise attack on South Korea in June 1950, prompting a US-led United Nations coalition to intervene. Chinese forces backed North Korea, with assistance from the Soviet air force, before an armistice ended the fighting in 1953. The Korean Peninsula technically remains at war. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that a delegation from China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs had arrived in Pyongyang the previous day, but did not say whether the visit was connected to preparations for the anniversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June for talks with Kim. During the meeting, Xi expressed Beijing’s readiness to expand cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described relations with China as a top strategic priority. Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met Xi and attended a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders. Kim has maintained a hard line towards Seoul and has so far rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to revive diplomatic talks, which collapsed in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Pyongyang has called on Washington to abandon what it describes as a “hostile policy” and drop demands for North Korea’s denuclearisation as a condition for renewed negotiations. South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers last month that there was a 50 percent possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China.

Four pilots were killed when two Philippine air force aircraft collided during a training flight and crashed at an air base south of Manila, officials said Saturday. The two SF-260 aircraft collided at low altitude on Friday afternoon before crashing at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, in the coastal province of Batangas. No one on the ground was injured, officials said. The air force described the incident as an accidental crash but did not provide further details. Two Philippine officials familiar with the incident said the aircraft collided midair. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter. A witness told The Associated Press that one of the two-seater planes crashed near military personnel barracks inside the air base. The air force has temporarily grounded its remaining SF-260 aircraft, which were acquired from Italy, pending an investigation. It did not disclose how many of the planes remain in service. The crash deals a blow to the Philippines' underfunded military, which has long faced difficulties modernising its air force, navy and army because of financial constraints. The military has also been dealing with decades-long communist and Muslim insurgencies, alongside increasingly tense territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Drinking water shortages in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, have reached crisis levels in recent weeks as Iran-backed Houthi rebels tighten their siege amid escalating fighting with government forces. Water has been scarce in the city for more than a decade, but humanitarian groups say supplies are now barely meeting the needs of more than 1 million residents. Access to wells has been restricted, desalination plants are running short of fuel and water delivery trucks are largely unable to enter the city. Families are rationing every drop. Before the siege, Hadil al-Shahid and her two young children used about 10 litres (2.6 gallons) of bottled water daily for drinking and cooking. They now make the same amount last around four days. “We stopped drinking coffee and tea, which we used to drink daily,” al-Shahid said in a phone interview. Families like hers are paying as much as 75% more for bottled water than they did just weeks ago, while some have started buying water on credit. The siege of Taiz, a strategic gateway to southern Yemen, has also disrupted food supplies, driving up grocery prices. Fuel shortages are making it difficult to maintain essential services, including hospitals and sanitation, increasing public health risks. Amnesty International has urged the Houthis to immediately reopen roads into the city, warning that Taiz is being pushed to “the brink of a severe humanitarian disaster.” Houthis cut off access to wellsYemen descended into civil war in 2014 when the Houthis seized much of the country's north, including the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. Taiz has remained a major battleground since then. Damage to the city's ageing water infrastructure caused by years of war has compounded the effects of population growth and frequent droughts, which have reduced groundwater supplies. Residents turned to truck-delivered water as a mostly dependable alternative, but that option has also become increasingly difficult. By August, Yemen had become an expanding front in the war with Iran. The Houthis intensified their advance on Taiz last month after rapidly capturing the port city of Mokha, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) away, a strategically important area for controlling shipping through the Red Sea. As Houthi forces seized more territory and roads around Taiz, residents lost access to nearby wells, while water deliveries from outside the city declined. Truckers who have managed to bring water into Taiz have, in some cases, tripled their rates to compensate for the dangers of the journey. With fuel supplies dwindling, the city's water utility is struggling to maintain its limited operations, while desalination plants are operating well below capacity. Fuel and food shortages worsen hardshipSince August, Taiz province, which includes the city and surrounding areas, has received roughly half of the people displaced from other parts of Yemen by the fighting — an estimated 124,000 people, according to United Nations migration experts. Their arrival has further strained the area's already limited supplies of water and other essentials. Some displaced families are living in makeshift shelters or tents and surviving on one meal a day, said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for a United Nations division focused on emergency aid. Fuel for cooking and transportation has also become scarce and more expensive. The price of cooking gas has risen more than fourfold, according to Hani Bafaqih, a water, sanitation and hygiene expert with the aid organisation CARE in Yemen. Some families have resorted to cooking over fires fuelled by wood, charcoal or cardboard. The shortages have also hampered community kitchens that provide free hot meals and forced waste-collection services to shut down. “The shortages feed into each other. Without fuel, water pumps, hospital generators and solid-waste collection stop. With less clean water and waste piling up, the risk of disease, including cholera, rises,” Laerke said. The risks are further heightened as thirsty families turn to unprotected wells that may be contaminated with waterborne diseases, he said. Food prices have surged as well. Flour and rice cost about 50% more than they did over the summer, aid groups say, while fruits and vegetables have become difficult to find. Ahmed Abdel Gaber, who was displaced from his home by the fighting, is living with nine other family members in the ruins of another building. He previously earned money transporting construction materials, but his income has become unreliable, leaving the family struggling to survive. “We heavily rely on assistance and donations from people to get food,” he said in a phone interview. Al-Shahid, who owns a hair salon, said her income also dried up several weeks ago. She was forced to close the business as former customers redirected their spending towards food and water. Her 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son now eat mostly rice, bread and cheese, she said. Why Taiz matters to the HouthisThe Yemeni government continues to control central Taiz, but the siege has made it difficult to deliver supplies to its forces stationed there. Government troops are trying to repel Houthi fighters in the hills surrounding the city, facing particularly strong resistance to the east. Analysts say capturing Taiz would be crucial for the Houthis if they want to advance south towards Aden and Lahj, although taking the city would be difficult. “Any Houthi attempt to seize parts of the city, let alone take it entirely, would likely require a prolonged and costly battle, with significant casualties among Houthi fighters,” said Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. Three Houthi officials said the group controls roughly 80% of the countryside surrounding Taiz and several key neighbourhoods within the city. The Associated Press could not independently verify their claims. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to brief the media. Yemen's foreign minister, Afrah al-Zouba, has acknowledged that the Houthis are tightening their grip on the city. The officials said the large civilian population in Taiz significantly complicates the group's efforts to capture it. Earlier this week, Houthi-fired missiles struck a residential area in Taiz, killing two teenage girls and highlighting the dangers faced by civilians. Abdel Gaber said he hears loud explosions every day from fighting taking place about five kilometres (three miles) away. His family is unwilling to return to its home in a mountain village because of safety concerns. For al-Shahid, leaving Taiz is not a viable option because the cost of travelling and renting a home in another province is beyond her means. “Staying in our home is inevitable whether it be a matter of life or death,” she said.