United News of Bangladesh

A Philippine court on Thursday handed a life sentence to former Bamban mayor Alice Guo — whom authorities assert is a Chinese citizen — for her role in running an illegal online scam hub in northern Luzon where hundreds of foreign workers were coerced into conducting fraud. The Pasig Regional Trial Court in Metro Manila found Guo and seven co-defendants from China and the Philippines guilty of human trafficking. Alongside the life terms, each was ordered to pay 2 million pesos (about $34,000) in fines and provide compensation to victims. Guo has denied the accusations and maintains she is Filipino. In recent years, sprawling online fraud compounds have surged across Southeast Asia, with the U.N. estimating hundreds of thousands trapped and forced into romance scams, fake investments, and illegal gambling schemes. In the Philippines, syndicates set up large facilities—from high-rise offices in Manila to vast compounds in provincial towns—often by bribing officials to move trafficked workers unnoticed. Investigators say Guo is actually Guo Huaping, a Chinese national who allegedly forged Filipino documents before running for mayor of Bamban in Tarlac province. Authorities say the illegal compound was built near the town hall, where trafficking victims were housed and forced to run online scams. The crackdown intensified last year after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned hundreds of Chinese-linked online gaming operators, accusing them of involvement in trafficking, torture, kidnapping, financial crimes and murder. Thousands of workers have been rescued, though officials warn many scam centers remain active. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who led high-profile Senate inquiries that uncovered the operations, called Thursday’s conviction a milestone. “This is a win against corruption, trafficking, cybercrime, and a range of transnational offenses,” she said, while adding that the broader fight is far from over. Security officials and Hontiveros have also raised concerns that Chinese-run compounds may have been exploited for espionage as tensions escalate between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea. Guo has not been charged with spying and denies any involvement. Bamban is situated only a short distance from a Philippine Air Force base where U.S. forces are allowed rotational access under a 2014 defense agreement. Guo was removed from office last year for grave misconduct by the Ombudsman. She fled the country in mid-2024 but was later located in Indonesia, arrested, and deported back to the Philippines, where she has remained in detention.  

A preliminary investigation into last month’s fatal cargo plane crash at Hong Kong International Airport has found that one of the aircraft’s engines unexpectedly accelerated after landing, authorities said Tuesday. The Boeing 747, operated by Turkey-based ACT Airlines on a flight from Dubai, skidded off the runway on October 20 before striking a security patrol car and plunging both vehicles into the sea. Two airport security workers inside the car were killed, while all four crew members on board the aircraft escaped unharmed. According to the Transport and Logistics Bureau, initial evidence suggested that weather conditions, runway surface and air traffic control operations were all normal before the aircraft veered off course. A report released by the Air Accident Investigation Authority classified the event as an accident. Investigators said the aircraft’s Number 4 engine was found accelerating even after touchdown. An inspection of the cockpit showed that thrust levers for engines one, two and three had been closed, with reverse thrust fully selected. However, the Number 4 engine thrust lever was discovered in the full forward position, with its reverse thrust lever also pushed fully forward. Authorities said the probe will now focus on determining why the Number 4 thrust lever was positioned that way, and whether mechanical issues or loss of control contributed to the incident. Investigators will collect additional data and analyse engine performance, aircraft systems, maintenance history and possible human-factor considerations. A full report is expected within a year. The investigation is being supported by experts from Turkey’s Transport Safety Investigation Center, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing. The aircraft was operating under lease for Emirates, the Dubai-based long-haul carrier.

South Korea on Monday proposed military talks with North Korea to prevent accidental armed clashes along their tense border, following a series of incidents in which North Korean troops allegedly crossed the military demarcation line. Seoul’s military says it has fired warning shots multiple times in recent months to drive back North Korean soldiers who strayed over the border while reinforcing front-line positions. Pyongyang has denied the incursions and warned of retaliation. Kim Hong-Cheol, South Korea’s deputy defense minister for national defense policy, said the repeated border violations may stem from differing interpretations of the military demarcation line, as many original posts set after the 1950–53 Korean War have disappeared. He said talks are needed to “prevent accidental conflict and reduce tensions.” It remains uncertain whether North Korea will respond. Pyongyang has rejected all dialogue with Seoul and Washington since nuclear negotiations between leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Trump has said he wants to resume talks, but Kim has insisted that the U.S. must drop denuclearization demands before any meeting. Analysts say the latest proposal reflects the liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung’s push to reopen communication channels with the North. However, in August, senior North Korean official Kim Yo Jong dismissed Seoul’s outreach as a “sinister intention.” Tensions have grown since Kim Jong Un last year abandoned the North’s decades-old goal of peaceful unification and ordered constitutional changes labeling South Korea a permanent enemy. Seoul says North Korea has since expanded anti-tank barriers and laid additional mines along the frontier. The two Koreas share a 248-kilometer-long, four-kilometer-wide border, one of the world’s most heavily fortified, lined with mines, barbed wire, tank traps and thousands of troops — a reminder that the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.  

Less than a month into her term, Japan's conservative leader has stirred tensions with China by suggesting a Chinese move against Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response. China objects to the involvement of other countries in Taiwan, notably the United States, which is the main supplier of weapons to the self-governing island. Beijing claims it as its own and says it must come under its control. It says it's a domestic issue and “a red line” that others should not cross. Takaichi went beyond past Japanese statements Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7. that a Chinese naval blockade or other action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response. “If it involves the use of warships and military actions, it could by all means become a survival-threatening situation,” she said. Her comments were stronger than those of her predecessors. Previous prime ministers have expressed concern about China's threat to Taiwan but haven't publicly said how Japan would respond. Takaichi later refused to retract her remarks but told the same parliamentary committee three days later that she would avoid talking about specific scenarios in the future. Japan's new leader is a longtime supporter of Taiwan. She views China as a growing threat and has ordered an acceleration of plans to boost Japan’s military spending. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday that Japan’s position on Taiwan has not changed. China responds with stern warnings Takaichi's comments caused an uproar in China, with the foreign and defense ministries, the Taiwan Affairs Office and state media all weighing in. Her remarks came as a surprise because tensions over Taiwan were not particularly high, said Wang Huiyao, the president of the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing. "We can’t just let the prime minister speak so openly at parliament," he said. One of the first to speak out was China’s consul general in Osaka, who said in a now-deleted social media post that China has no choice but to cut off an intruding “dirty neck." The comment was understood as an allegation that Takiachi was interfering into what China sees as its internal affairs. Motegi called the post “extremely inappropriate.” China's Foreign Ministry called in Japan's ambassador on Thursday to warn against any interference in Taiwan. The next day, Japan's Foreign Ministry summoned China's ambassador in Tokyo to complain about the social media post. Beijing is upping the ante On Friday night, China took aim at Japan's tourism economy. It issued a notification advising against travel to Japan. About 7.5 million Chinese tourists visited in the first nine months of this year, the largest number from any country and about one-fourth of the total. China's Education Ministry followed up with a warning to students on Sunday about recent crimes against Chinese in Japan, though it didn't advise them not to go. Also on Sunday, China's coast guard announced that it was patrolling the waters around a group of uninhabited islands that both countries claim. Japan criticized an incident in which a fleet of four Chinese coast guard ships briefly violated Japanese territorial waters around the islands Sunday. On Monday, Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters that Premier Li Qiang “has no arrangement to meet with the Japanese leader” during the upcoming Group of 20 summit in South Africa. A bigger concern for Japan would be if China were to restrict the export of rare earth magnets, vital components in auto manufacturing and other industries. There was no immediate indication China was considering it. Japanese officials are trying to calm the waters. Motegi said he planned to ask China to make "an appropriate response” to prevent a major impact on relations. On Monday, Japan dispatched a senior diplomat to Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials in an apparent move to calm the situation, but no details have been released. The U.S.-Japan alliance looms in the background Japan’s position is complicated by its post-World War II constitution, which bans its use of force except for defending its territory — the military is called the Self-Defense Force. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe succeeded in expanding the military's mandate by winning parliamentary approval in 2015 of a law that would allow Japan to come to the aid of an ally — most likely the U.S. — in a conflict that is determined to be an existential threat to Japan. Takaichi, who rose in politics as a protégé of Abe, said that a Chinese move against Taiwan could qualify as a threat, setting off the ensuing firestorm. Another possible threat would be a conflict with North Korea that draws in the U.S., analysts say. Japan has previously not specified what would constitute an existential threat under the provision, which is called collective self-defense. Now, Tokyo doesn’t want to withdraw Takaichi's remark, because it could narrow its options in a Taiwan crisis. Backpedaling could also hurt the new prime minister's high public support ratings and her image as a hawk on China.  

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the country is no longer enriching uranium at any site, signaling to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its nuclear program. Speaking to an AP journalist, Araghchi said all Iranian nuclear facilities are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, and enrichment has paused because the sites were attacked in June during a 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States. Araghchi emphasized that Iran retains the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and would not give up its inalienable rights. Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, noted that Tehran faces threats over accessing the bombed sites, limiting any major work at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz. Iranian president orders probe after man dies from self-immolation in food stand dispute Iran previously enriched uranium up to 60% purity after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. While European nations have sought renewed U.N. sanctions, Araghchi left open the possibility of talks if Washington alters its maximalist approach. The summit, hosted by Iran’s Institute for Political and International Studies, highlighted Tehran’s perspective on the June conflict and framed Israel’s strikes as “aggression,” even as Iran faces ongoing economic pressures, high tensions over its nuclear program, and internal societal challenges. Source: AP

At least 42 Indian Umrah pilgrims are feared dead after a bus carrying them from Makkah to Madinah collided with a diesel tanker early Monday, causing a massive fire, media reports said. Initial reports indicate that many of the victims were women and children from Hyderabad. Unofficial sources suggest that 11 women and 10 children may be among those killed, though authorities are still verifying the figures, reports Gulf News. In response to the tragedy, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah has set up a 24-hour control room to assist families and concerned parties. The toll-free helpline number is 8002440003. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed deep shock over the incident, saying the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are extending full support to the affected nationals and their families. He conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos poured into Manila’s streets on Sunday in the largest demonstration yet demanding accountability for a massive flood-control corruption scandal that has ensnared lawmakers, senior officials and construction executives. Public anger has grown in recent months after authorities found thousands of flood-defense projects across the typhoon-prone nation to be substandard, unfinished or nonexistent. In Senate and fact-finding commission hearings, government engineers and construction executives alleged that members of Congress and officials in the Department of Public Works and Highways took kickbacks to secure contracts and evade oversight — accusations most of the officials denied. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said about 320,000 members of the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo began a three-day rally at Manila’s Rizal Park, many dressed in white and carrying anti-corruption placards. Another group, including retired generals, held a separate protest at the People Power monument in Quezon City. Police and military units were placed on full alert, with thousands deployed across the capital. Authorities expect the gatherings to remain peaceful, though a rally on Sept. 21 turned violent when black-clad protesters hurled rocks, bottles and firebombs near the presidential palace, injuring more than 100 police officers. The palace has been under tight lockdown since Friday, with major access roads sealed by barricades and cargo containers. Flood-control failures have intensified public frustration, with two typhoons killing at least 259 people this month, mostly in flash floods and landslides. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to calm the unrest, saying on Thursday that several powerful politicians and business figures implicated in the scandal “will be in jail by Christmas.” An independent commission has filed graft and plunder charges against 37 suspects, along with tax-evasion complaints involving nearly 9 billion pesos ($152 million) against dozens of construction executives and government officials. Those accused include both allies and critics of Marcos: former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin; former Senate President Chiz Escudero; and Sen. Bong Go, an ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte. All have denied wrongdoing. Duterte, currently detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands over alleged crimes against humanity in his anti-drug campaign, has become a fierce critic of Marcos. His daughter, the vice president, said Marcos should also be held accountable for signing a budget that allocated billions for flood-control works. Some pro-Duterte groups have called on the military to withdraw support from Marcos, but Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. dismissed the proposals, vowing the military would remain within constitutional bounds. “Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not under my watch,” he said.

At least four people were killed and 11 others injured in a powerful explosion at a fireworks factory in Hyderabad city, Sindh province, southern Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. Police and hospital authorities said rescuers transported the dead and injured to nearby hospitals. Footage shared on social media showed thick smoke rising from the collapsed building where firecrackers were manufactured. Sindh government officials said an investigation would determine whether the factory had proper permission and adhered to safety regulations. The cause of the blast remains unknown. Explosions at fireworks facilities are frequent in Pakistan. In August, five people died in a similar blast at a fireworks storage site in Karachi.

Tymur Mindich, a once-obscure dealmaker long linked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle, has become the central figure in a high-profile corruption scandal involving the state nuclear energy company. Mindich, 46, was pushed into the spotlight this week after Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies released findings from a 15-month investigation accusing him of orchestrating a $100 million embezzlement and kickback scheme inside Energoatom. He has reportedly fled Ukraine, and any case against him will likely proceed in absentia. Two government ministers resigned following the revelations. Though rarely spoken of publicly, Mindich had been viewed by activists and officials as a growing shadow power in Ukraine’s energy sector, allegedly enabled by his long-standing personal ties to Zelenskyy. The pair were once business partners in the president’s former production company Kvartal 95, and maintained close relations even after Zelenskyy entered politics. Investigators say intercepted phone conversations show Mindich exerting strong influence over former Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko, who later became justice minister before resigning this week. The probe alleges Mindich coordinated a network that pressured Energoatom contractors for kickbacks of up to 15%, with illicit funds laundered through shell companies. Mindich expanded his business holdings significantly after Zelenskyy’s 2019 election victory and was frequently linked to companies once associated with oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky. Anti-corruption activists argue Mindich’s rise would not have been possible without his privileged access to the presidency, particularly during wartime when Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is under strain. NABU, the country’s anti-corruption bureau, is also investigating Mindich’s alleged ties to Fire Point, a top Ukrainian drone manufacturer. The company denies involvement, and findings from that probe have not yet been released.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is on track for a decisive win in Bihar, a key state election widely viewed as a major test of his political strength in one of India’s poorest but most influential regions. Early results released Friday by the Election Commission of India show the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) heading toward 208 seats in the 243-member state assembly. A party or alliance needs 122 seats to form government. The BJP alone is projected to claim 95 seats. Bihar, home to nearly 130 million people, plays a crucial role in national politics as it sends the fourth-largest bloc of lawmakers to India’s lower house of parliament. The state is also considered a bellwether across the Hindi-speaking belt. This year’s two-phase election unfolded amid public concerns over unemployment, security issues and complaints about voter list revisions. Campaigns by both the government and opposition were marked by large rallies and intensive voter outreach. With the NDA leading in early counting, supporters celebrated across Patna with flags, music and firecrackers. A win in Bihar is expected to bolster Modi as he prepares for the 2029 national elections and major state polls in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam. Analysts say the victory will also give stability to the federal coalition, which has relied on regional allies since losing its outright parliamentary majority last year. Modi, Starmer vow stronger India-UK ties, finalize defense and trade deals In Bihar, the BJP partners with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas). Kumar, 74, has led the state for almost 20 years and is credited with improving infrastructure and restoring public order. Once a critic of Modi, he later returned to the NDA fold. Observers had warned that a defeat in Bihar could weaken Kumar’s party and threaten the central coalition, which depends on his 12 lawmakers. Source: AP