United News of Bangladesh

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated Sunday that a new defense pact signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is "purely defensive" and remains open to other regional nations. The "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement," also known as the Makkah Accord, was signed Friday by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deepen security cooperation amid regional tensions. Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agree on mutual defense pact A primary provision stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three states shall be considered an attack against them all. Dar emphasized this aligns with Article 51 of the UN Charter regarding collective self-defense and clarified the agreement is not directed at any specific country, including Iran. The alliance combines Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, Saudi Arabia’s economic influence, and Turkey’s advanced defense industry. Dar noted the accord does not replace existing bilateral or multilateral agreements. While landmarks in Islamabad and Saudi cities were illuminated in celebration, defense analysts cautioned that despite the collective defense clause, the pact should not be viewed as a NATO equivalent. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia previously signed a separate mutual-defense agreement in September 2025.

More than 380,000 people across eight regions of the Philippines have been affected by severe weather caused by the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones, according to official reports on Sunday. The Philippine News Agency reported that at least 110,000 families have been affected by the weather disturbances, while the death toll remained at six. Seven people were also injured. The severe weather damaged 148 houses, including 138 partially damaged and 10 completely destroyed, the reports said. Of the six deaths, two were caused by landslides triggered by heavy rain, while two others resulted from rockslides. The remaining two deaths were caused by drowning and electrocution, respectively. The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 86 evacuation centers had been opened, providing shelter to around 2,200 families, or 7,300 people. Another 1,132 families, comprising around 3,700 people, are staying outside evacuation centers, according to the council.

Shanghai’s two major airports canceled more than 1,300 flights Sunday as authorities across parts of eastern China evacuated hundreds of thousands of people ahead of Typhoon Dolphin, which brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan. The storm’s outer bands affected northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, on Saturday. Several Taiwanese airlines also canceled flights to China scheduled for Sunday. Dolphin had maximum sustained winds of about 162 kilometers per hour (101 mph) as of Sunday morning, according to authorities. The typhoon was expected to bring heavy rainfall and increase the risks of flooding and landslides as it approached Zhejiang province and northern parts of neighboring Fujian province later in the day. Chinese forecasters warned that some areas could receive between 200 and 400 millimeters (7.9 to 15.7 inches) of rain over the following several days. Authorities in Zhejiang issued warnings over the heightened risk of landslides. Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports each canceled around 60% of their scheduled flights for Sunday, according to Shanghai state media outlet The Paper. In Zhejiang, authorities evacuated about 390,000 people from vulnerable areas in Taizhou on Saturday evening. Shanghai authorities also moved more than 30,000 residents from areas considered at greater risk. Authorities in Zhejiang suspended water-based activities, including ferry services and cruises, as a precaution against the approaching storm. The typhoon’s expected landfall and heavy rainfall prompted authorities to strengthen emergency preparations across the region, particularly in areas vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

A student opened fire at a high school outside Bangkok on Friday, killing at least six people and wounding several others, police said. The shooting took place at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, northwest of the capital, Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan told The Associated Press. A witness told reporters that students hid inside a classroom as they heard gunshots coming from another building. Police officers later knocked on the door and escorted the students out of the building. About an hour after the shooting, people gathered outside the school, comforting one another, while police and first responders moved around inside the premises. Authorities provided conflicting casualty figures that could not immediately be reconciled. Trairong told broadcaster Channel 3 that the shooter was hospitalized in serious condition and that 15 other people were injured, including two in critical condition. He said three teachers and three students were killed. Health Minister Pattana Promphat said 22 people were injured, nine of them critically. Some of the injuries were caused by falls, and it was not immediately clear how many people were shot. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee told reporters at the scene that five teachers had died. He also said the shooter had killed his two grandparents at home before going to the school and later died at a hospital. Trairong said the motive was still under investigation. He said the gun was believed to have been taken from a member of the student's family. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed condolences to the victims and said he had instructed relevant officials to provide care and assistance to those affected. In February, a 17-year-old stole a gun from police and opened fire at a public high school in southern Thailand, briefly taking people hostage during a two-hour attack that killed one person and injured two others. In 2023, a 14-year-old boy was accused of carrying out a shooting at a major shopping mall in Bangkok.

Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with its mayor criticizing major powers for waging wars and urging them to stop portraying nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence. “Downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one’s own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui said. In his peace declaration at a ceremony in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Matsui said too many political leaders still view nuclear deterrence as a realistic approach and continue to justify violence, which “simply pushes a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance.” He also urged people to learn from the past and take action to prevent such tragedies from happening again. Around 50,000 people, including representatives from about 120 countries and regions, including the United States and Iran, were expected to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was observed as a peace bell rang at 8:15 a.m., the exact time when a US B-29 bomber dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, attending the memorial ceremony for the first time as prime minister, said Japan would take “a realistic approach” toward achieving a world without the use of nuclear weapons, within the framework of the United Nations treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. This year’s ceremony comes amid speculation that Takaichi’s hawkish government, which supports nuclear deterrence, could ease Japan’s postwar three non-nuclear principles when it prepares new security and defense documents later this year. Takaichi has supported reviewing the principles, including the possibility of dropping the third principle, which prohibits Japan from allowing nuclear weapons to be brought into the country. She said Japan has maintained the three non-nuclear principles since the end of World War II but stopped short of committing to maintaining the policy in the future. Survivors have expressed concern and frustration over growing international support, including in Japan, for possessing nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Japan is protected under the US nuclear umbrella and has repeatedly sought assurances from Washington about its commitment to Japan’s security and stronger protection. As a result, the Japanese government has rejected survivors’ calls for the country to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings as observers. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed much of the city and killed around 140,000 people. A second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later killed about 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. The number of atomic bomb survivors has fallen to 91,105, about one-fourth of the original number, with their average age now above 86. Survivors are increasingly concerned that memories of the bombings could fade, as the youngest survivors were too young to clearly remember the attacks.

Pakistan’s ruling party has taken a strong lead in elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, results from the first two phases of voting showed Wednesday, despite weeks of protests and a boycott campaign by a banned political group. Candidates backed by twice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N have won 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases, said Raja Shakeel, a spokesperson for the regional election commission. Voter turnout exceeded 56% in the regional capital. Shakeel said voting for the remaining 11 seats is scheduled for Aug. 10, but the ruling party is already on course to form the next regional government. The result marks the party’s return to power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after a decade. Shakeel said the election is being held in three phases due to security concerns and heavy monsoon rains, which have disrupted campaigning and made it difficult to organize large outdoor rallies. Regional government and election officials said turnout exceeded 50% in many areas, including Muzaffarabad, despite security concerns and calls for a boycott by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, which is known for organizing violent protests. Sharif congratulated the winning candidates in a statement. Pakistan and India each control parts of Kashmir but claim the Himalayan region in its entirety. The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. The election campaign was overshadowed by weeks of protests led by the JAAC, which had urged residents not to vote. The regional government recently banned the group, citing security and public-order concerns. JAAC supporters repeatedly clashed with police ahead of Sunday’s vote, but residents said they exercised their right to vote despite fears of violence. Analysts said the election strengthened public confidence in the democratic process as voters turned out despite weeks of protests, violence and the boycott campaign. The dispute has centered on 12 seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule. The JAAC argues that the seats give disproportionate political influence to people living outside Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has demanded that they be abolished. The controversy intensified in June when the region’s Supreme Court ruled that the seats are protected by the constitution and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment. The seats were created to ensure representation for people displaced from Indian-controlled Kashmir who settled elsewhere in Pakistan because Pakistan-administered Kashmir lacked the capacity to accommodate them. Many have lived in Pakistan for decades, while others later moved to Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Authorities have often accused JAAC supporters of attempting to disrupt the election and alleged that members of the Pakistani Taliban had infiltrated the protests. The JAAC has not responded to the allegations. Formed in 2023, the group has demanded greater political rights for the people of Kashmir. The government says it has accepted 36 of the group’s 38 demands, while the issue of reserved seats can only be resolved by the regional assembly.

A suicide bomber targeted protesters at an antimilitant rally in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, mostly civilians and police officers, and wounding more than two dozen others, officials said. The attack happened in Kabal, a town in Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where demonstrators had gathered near a police station, chanting anti-militant slogans and demanding peace, district police chief Omar Khan said. According to witnesses, shortly before the attack, speakers at the rally said ensuring security and eliminating militancy were the state’s responsibility. They also accused authorities of failing to act decisively against militants, saying residents wanted to live without fear after years of violence that devastated the region. Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial emergency service, said the attacker struck dozens of people who were chanting antimilitant slogans and demanding peace. Police official Omar Khan said at least nine civilians and five officers were among the dead. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life. In separate statements they offered condolences to the families of those killed, prayed for the recovery of the wounded and directed authorities to ensure the wounded receive the best possible medical treatment. Zardari and Sharif also said Pakistan’s fight against terrorism would continue until it is eradicated. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack. In a statement, he extending condolences to the families of those killed and prayers for the speedy recovery of the wounded. The Swat Valley was once a stronghold of Islamic militants who imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, before the Pakistani military launched a major operation in 2007 that drove them out and restored government control. However, militants have resurfaced in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in recent months, fueling fears that the Pakistani Taliban are seeking to regain a foothold in the region. In response, residents have repeatedly staged anti-Taliban rallies to protest the militants’ presence across the valley. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Many of its leaders and fighters have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant attacks in recent years, particularly targeting police and security forces. On Friday, Pakistan's military spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said that Pakistan has recorded 3,145 “terrorism incidents” since January. He said Pakistan had killed 2,084 militants since January, while 819 Pakistanis, including soldiers, police officers and civilians, had been killed. Chaudhry also said Afghanistan-based militants had carried out 28 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January and alleged that most were carried out by Afghan nationals or people associated with Afghanistan’s security forces. He said the TTP and other militant groups were carrying out attacks inside Pakistan with the support of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and Pakistan would continue to target the TTP and its support infrastructure.

At least five people were killed and 41 others remained missing after a passenger ferry carrying 271 people caught fire off Indonesia's main island of Java on Sunday, officials said. The Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi with 232 passengers and 39 crew members when the fire broke out between 6 am and 7 am in waters off Sumenep regency, according to Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The ferry operator alerted rescuers about an hour later after receiving a distress report from the vessel's captain. However, communication with the ferry was later lost. Authorities located the burning ferry about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi Island. A nearby cargo ship was unable to get close because it was carrying flammable cargo. Videos released by rescuers and shared on social media showed thick black smoke and flames engulfing much of the ferry as frightened passengers wearing life jackets waited for help or jumped into the sea. A tugboat and other nearby vessels began rescuing passengers shortly before 10 am. By Sunday afternoon, rescuers and nearby ships had evacuated 225 passengers and crew members and recovered five bodies. At least 41 people were still unaccounted for. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and remains under investigation. The National Search and Rescue Agency dispatched a rescue ship from Surabaya, while the Indonesian Navy sent a warship to assist in the operation. A rescue boat from Sumenep was forced to return because of rough seas and high waves. The 160-metre ferry operates on the Surabaya-Makassar route, a journey of around 40 hours that is widely used by domestic passengers and cargo transport. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferry services, although maritime accidents are frequent due to poor enforcement of safety regulations.

Seven suspected armed robbers were killed in a gunfight with Afghan police in Kabul on Saturday night. Khalid Zadran, Kabul police spokesperson, said the exchange of fire took place in Police District 8 at around 9 pm. He confirmed the incident in a statement posted on social media platform X early Sunday. Police recovered a vehicle along with several weapons and ammunition from the suspected robbers, the statement said. One security personnel was also injured in the incident, though no further details were immediately available.

The death toll in ongoing floods in India's northeastern state of Assam has risen to 82, with two people still missing, officials said Saturday. According to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Sivasagar district reported the highest 42 deaths, followed by Charaideo and Jorhat districts with 21 and nine deaths respectively. According to Sarma, the floods hit 2,251 villages, affecting over 1.1 million people in the state. Floods have fully damaged 2,530 residential houses and another 9,668 houses have suffered partial damage. The authorities have set up 218 relief camps where 71,889 people have taken shelter. Besides, 1,811 relief distribution centers have been opened in the affected districts. "Relief operations continue to expand across the state, with the number of relief distribution centers increasing to 1,811 now," Sarma said. "Every effort remains focused on relief, rehabilitation and restoring normalcy."