United News of Bangladesh

Air India has ordered a mandatory dope test for all its pilots days after a captain, found responsible for mid-air turbulence, tested positive for marijuana, multiple local media reports said Thursday. According to local television news channel NDTV, the dope test is mandatory for both Air India and Air India Express pilots. The tests will be conducted concurrently with training at the Gurugram academy, post-flight at Air India's flight briefing centers and offices, the media report said. Earlier this month, 17 people, including four cabin crew members, onboard an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi were injured after experiencing turbulence. The aircraft lost approximately 300 feet in altitude, triggering a mid-air scare among the passengers. On Wednesday, the pilot-in-command tested positive for marijuana during a confirmatory test for psychoactive substances. Reports said he had earlier tested positive in a dope test conducted immediately after the flight landed.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have detained two Afghan employees of the U.N. political mission in the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staff members Sunday in the western city of Herat, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters at the U.N. He said the mission has not been informed about any charges against the men and has not been allowed to visit them. The U.N. mission has urged the Taliban “to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials,” Haq said. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of war. After seizing power, the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools and later expanded restrictions to higher education, employment and other areas, effectively shutting women and girls out of public life. The U.N. mission’s mandate from the Security Council includes supporting humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people, promoting human rights and equality for women and girls, encouraging inclusive governance and supporting economic stability. The detention comes as the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Asian country continues to worsen and Taliban forces are involved in cross-border fighting with Pakistan. The clashes intensified in February after Afghan forces carried out a raid into Pakistan in response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Islamabad later said it was in “open war.” Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the detention “seriously threatens the U.N.'s work throughout Afghanistan and its ability to deliver lifesaving aid.” “Taliban authorities should immediately release those held and ensure all aid agencies can work without intimidation or interference,” she said.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, its second such launch in less than a week, in an apparent protest against upcoming annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area on the North’s eastern coast at around 6am and traveled more than 700 kilometers before landing in waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japan’s Defense Ministry also detected the launch and said the missile fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The launch came two days after South Korea and the United States announced that their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises would begin on Aug 17. The allies say the drills are defensive and aimed at improving their readiness against North Korean threats. North Korea has long condemned the joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has frequently responded to them with missile launches and strong rhetoric. South Korea’s military said it remains prepared to respond to any provocation from Pyongyang while working closely with the United States. Seoul’s National Security Council called the missile launch a provocation and urged North Korea to stop such actions. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tokyo had strongly protested the launch through diplomatic channels in Beijing, calling it a serious threat to the safety of Japanese citizens. The latest launch followed another short-range ballistic missile test detected by South Korea, the United States and Japan on Aug 6. That was North Korea’s first reported ballistic missile activity since late June. North Korea has continued expanding its missile and nuclear capabilities despite multiple UN Security Council resolutions banning its ballistic missile launches. Experts say Pyongyang has accelerated its weapons development since diplomatic talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump broke down in 2019. They believe Kim may seek to use his growing military capabilities to gain concessions from Washington, including relief from international sanctions. North Korea has also strengthened its ties with Russia, including through military support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. At the same time, Pyongyang has sought closer relations with China, its traditional ally and major economic partner. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June, his first visit to the North Korean capital in seven years.

An estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain deprived of secondary education, five years after the Taliban seized power, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said, urging the immediate restoration of their right to education. UNESCO said the continued exclusion of women and girls from education represents a serious violation of their fundamental rights. “Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally banned from secondary and higher education,” Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO’s program coordinator for education in emergencies, said during a video news conference. She said five years was far more than a temporary disruption to a child’s education, noting that it represents nearly an entire secondary school cycle. Jaberian called for the “immediate and unconditional” restoration of girls’ and women’s access to secondary and higher education, stressing that education is a basic human right. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war. It soon banned girls from secondary schools and later expanded restrictions to higher education, employment and other areas, effectively pushing women and girls out of public life. Despite repeated appeals from the United Nations, humanitarian organizations, rights groups and several Islamic countries, the Taliban has maintained the restrictions, saying the issue is an internal matter. UNESCO said the bans have reversed much of Afghanistan’s educational progress over the past two decades. While girls’ access to schooling was extremely limited in 2001, nearly 1 million girls were enrolled in secondary education by 2021. “Much of that progress now has been completely reversed,” Jaberian said. UNESCO continues to support education through community-based learning, literacy and skills development programs. The classes are often held in community spaces and facilitators’ homes, with authorities aware of the activities. The agency said more than 1,000 literacy facilitators are involved, most of whom have received training from UNESCO and its partners. “While the restriction remains, we cannot abandon Afghan learners,” Jaberian said, adding that UNESCO is working with communities and partners to preserve every possible avenue for learning.  

Rescue crews battled a fire and rough seas Wednesday as they worked to evacuate passengers from a burning ferry near Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali. Rescuers and nearby vessels had rescued 106 people from the ferry, while efforts were underway to evacuate the remaining 25 passengers and crew members, authorities said. “Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office. He said difficult weather conditions, including waves reaching up to 4 meters (13 feet), were hampering the rescue operation. The fire broke out around 4:15 a.m. while the Putri Yasmin ferry was traveling from Padang Bai port in Bali to Lembar port on the neighboring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province, according to the search and rescue office in Mataram, the provincial capital. The agency received an emergency report nearly 30 minutes later and immediately sent personnel and rescue vessels to the scene. Hariyadi said Indonesian navy ships, patrol boats and rescue vessels were involved in the operation, while a helicopter was deployed to conduct an aerial survey. According to passenger manifest data from the Padang Bai port authority, the ferry was carrying 114 passengers and 17 crew members. It was also transporting 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are widely used for transportation. Ferry accidents occur regularly in the country, with weak enforcement of safety regulations often blamed for the disasters.

Myanmar’s military has increasingly turned to low-cost aircraft, including motorized paragliders and gyrocopters, in a growing campaign of airstrikes that has killed civilians during the country’s conflict with armed opposition groups, according to a U.N. investigation released Tuesday. Separately, the Arakan Army, a major ethnic armed group fighting government forces in Rakhine state, said Tuesday that 20 civilians had been killed in military airstrikes so far this month. Myanmar’s military government did not immediately respond to the U.N. findings or the allegations by the Arakan Army. The military has previously maintained that it targets only legitimate military targets and has accused resistance groups of being terrorists. The report by the U.N.-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, or IIMM, is based on a yearlong investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the military and allied militias, as well as armed groups opposing the government. The investigation found that abuses increased around the military-organized elections held in December and January. The IIMM said it recorded a significant rise in aerial attacks in the months leading up to the elections, with such attacks continuing afterward. Investigators also documented patterns of arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence. The IIMM said civilian casualties have been compounded by the military’s growing use of “double-tap” airstrikes, in which a second attack follows an initial strike and apparently targets first responders, people assisting the injured and civilians attempting to flee. According to the report, Myanmar’s military has increasingly used motorized paragliders, also known as paramotors, along with gyrocopters and drones, to carry out low-altitude attacks using unguided explosives. In several recent incidents in the upper Sagaing region, paramotor pilots allegedly switched off their engines while approaching their targets, allowing the aircraft to glide quietly and giving civilians little or no time to escape or take shelter, the report said. The findings were released as the Arakan Army said around 20 civilians had been killed and 22 others injured in airstrikes across three townships between Aug. 1 and 11. It said one of the attacks involved as many as eight aircraft and continued for about an hour. The military-backed government has not publicly commented on those reported attacks. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group that tracks arrests and casualties related to Myanmar’s civil war, says more than 8,000 civilians have been killed and over 31,000 arrested by security forces since 2021. The IIMM, established by the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2018 to investigate violations of international law in Myanmar, said it had collected evidence from more than 1,600 sources and witnesses that could support future prosecutions of those responsible. “Behind every piece of evidence we collect are people whose lives have been devastated by these crimes,” IIMM head Nicholas Koumjian said in the report. “Communities across Myanmar are not only living under the constant threat of violence but are also coping with the profound and lasting impact of what they have endured.” The IIMM said it is also investigating serious crimes allegedly committed by armed groups opposed to the military, including members of the Arakan Army. Those allegations include rape and other sexual violence against Rohingya Muslim women, summary executions, recruitment of children and the destruction of mosques in Rakhine. The report also said numerous people were detained under an election-related law that carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison or the death penalty for offenses including criticizing the elections online or distributing “anti-election” leaflets. Critics dismissed the elections as a sham intended to strengthen the military’s hold on power after its 2021 takeover ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered the ongoing civil war.

A senior Pentagon official on Monday urged U.S. allies in Asia to increase their defense spending and do more to deter aggression in the region, saying Washington remains committed to the region and wants to work with "partners, not protectorates." Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense, made the remarks at a forum in the Philippines, his first stop on a Southeast Asian tour that will also take him to Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. Colby sought to reassure regional allies that the United States is not stepping back from Asia despite its current focus on the war with Iran and developments in the Middle East. "America is definitely not disengaging from Asia — to the contrary. Our vital national interests dictate our enduring presence here," Colby told an audience that included diplomats, military commanders, business executives and journalists. "We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most," he said, adding that Washington considers Asia to be of "paramount importance." Colby did not repeat the U.S. government's usual criticism of China's increasingly assertive actions in the region, including in the disputed South China Sea. Washington has frequently expressed concern over what it describes as increasingly hostile Chinese actions toward Philippine coast guard and naval vessels in recent years. The United States has repeatedly said it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino armed forces, ships or aircraft are subjected to an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea for decades. The strategically important waterway is also one of the world's major trade routes. Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and has rejected a 2016 international arbitration ruling brought by the Philippines that invalidated China's expansive territorial claims. Colby reiterated a pledge made by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore in May to build and maintain a strong U.S. defense presence in the Western Pacific. The aim, Hegseth said, is to ensure that aggression is not feasible, escalation is unattractive and war is considered irrational. Colby said Washington remains committed to maintaining "combat-credible power where it matters most," but added that the regional security framework cannot depend solely on the United States. "It must be upheld by a network of highly capable, sovereign nations that have modernized their own forces and stepped up to secure their own territory — transforming our relationships into true partnerships of equals," he said. Colby said asking allies and partners to increase defense spending and take greater responsibility for their own security should not be viewed as a sign that Washington is abandoning them. "When we ask our allies and partners to step up, to invest more in their own defense and to take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment. We are looking for partners, not protectorates," he said. Colby praised the Philippines for strengthening its defense capabilities, including through large-scale annual military exercises with U.S. forces. He also cited similar efforts by Thailand, Indonesia and other U.S. security partners in Southeast Asia.

Hundreds more flights were canceled at Shanghai's airports Monday as Tropical Storm Dolphin brought heavy rain to eastern China, triggering flooding in some areas after making landfall as a typhoon the previous day. Shanghai's Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled more than 900 flights, accounting for about 40% of the scheduled flights, according to Shanghai Airport Group. The cancellations came a day after around 1,300 flights were scrapped. Shanghai also suspended operations on some metro lines, while China Railway Chengdu Group canceled 115 train services, state news agency Xinhua reported. Authorities warned of possible severe flooding and landslides in several areas. State broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities in Yueqing, a city in Zhejiang province, were searching for people believed to be trapped inside flooded homes. The China Meteorological Administration said Dolphin was moving northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers per hour (9 to 12 mph) and was expected to gradually weaken. Dolphin made landfall Sunday evening in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, with winds reaching 151 kph (93 mph), after bringing heavy rainfall to northern Taiwan over the weekend. The storm prompted at least 760,000 people to relocate as a precaution, including more than 390,000 in Taizhou. Authorities evacuated more than 210,000 people in Shanghai and 160,000 in Fujian province from areas considered at greater risk. In Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, authorities temporarily closed the city's famous West Lake scenic areas, along with temples, parks and museums. They were scheduled to reopen Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Chan-hom was moving toward Japan's Pacific coast. The storm had winds of 83 kph (51 mph) Monday morning and was expected to strengthen slightly before making landfall between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Storm intensifies monsoon rains in the Philippines Although Dolphin did not make a direct hit on the Philippines, it strengthened seasonal monsoon rains that triggered flooding and landslides across the northern island region of Luzon. A landslide buried three houses Sunday night in Baguio, a mountain resort city in northern Luzon, killing 10 people. Rescuers recovered the victims' bodies after two days of intensive search operations. Three other people were rescued with injuries and taken to a hospital, Baguio officials said. The deaths increased the toll from nearly a week of torrential rains, flooding and a tropical storm in northern Luzon to 19, according to the government's Office of Civil Defense. More than 1 million people have been affected by the heavy monsoon rains and flooding, including about 98,000 who were forced to leave their homes.

Indonesia has stepped up efforts to contain a growing number of wildfires across the country, deploying helicopters, hundreds of firefighters and disaster response personnel as fires spread through East Java’s popular Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and peatlands on Sumatra amid an unusually dry season. The largest blaze is burning in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, where around 743 hectares (1,836 acres) have been scorched, according to East Java authorities. Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said Sunday that dry weather and strengthening El Nino conditions have increased the risk of forest and land fires during the peak dry season. The fire has destroyed extensive areas of dry grassland and vegetation, including protected edelweiss flowers, and spread toward Penanjakan, a popular viewpoint for visitors to Mount Bromo, one of Indonesia’s major tourist attractions. No injuries or evacuations have been reported. Hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, police, park rangers and volunteers are working to contain the blaze. Authorities have closed the national park to visitors until further notice. At least three helicopters were deployed Monday to conduct water-bombing operations over hotspots inaccessible by ground crews. Firefighters are also carrying out manual suppression, cooling operations, patrols and building firebreaks to stop the flames from spreading. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, who visited the park Sunday, said authorities were coordinating efforts to tackle and prevent forest and land fires. He urged people to avoid activities that could trigger new fires, including throwing away cigarette butts and burning land for clearance. The Bromo fire is among several wildfires reported across Indonesia during the current dry spell. More than 50 hectares (124 acres) of peatland have burned in Jambi province on Sumatra, causing thick haze and concerns over deteriorating air quality. The largest fire, in Sungai Gelam village in Muaro Jambi district, has destroyed dozens of hectares of local residents’ oil palm plantations and has been burning since Wednesday. Around 300 firefighters and disaster personnel have been deployed there. Deep peat, limited water supplies, difficult terrain and strong winds have hampered firefighting efforts, despite three helicopters conducting aerial operations. Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said August and September are expected to be the most critical months, as dry vegetation and strong winds could help fires spread rapidly. Wildfires frequently occur on Sumatra and Borneo during dry periods. Many are illegally started by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for cultivation, with the resulting fires periodically causing hazardous haze across parts of Southeast Asia.

The four-day 3rd International Indigenous Language Journalism Conference-2026 began in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Sunday, bringing together journalists, media professionals and researchers involved in indigenous language-based journalism from around 30 countries, including Bangladesh.  The conference, which will continue until August 12, is being held under the theme, “Indigenous Language Journalism for Cultural Diversity, Climate Justice and Inclusive Democracy,” said a media statement. 10th CJEN conference begins with calls for journalists’ safety and ethical journalism  Ten distinguished Bangladeshi journalists are participating in the conference.  The Bangladesh delegation is being led by Shiabur Rahman, General Secretary of the SAARC Journalists Forum (SJF) Bangladesh Chapter and Head of Online and Multimedia at The Financial. Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Secretary General of the SJF Central Committee and Senior Correspondent of The Bangladesh Post, is also accompanying the 10-member Bangladesh Chapter delegation.  The conference is organised by the Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Nationalities Journalists (FONIJ) with overall cooperation from the SAARC Journalists Forum (SJF).  During the four-day conference, participants will discuss the current state, key challenges and future course of indigenous language journalism in the global context.  Panel discussions will be held and research papers and working papers will be presented, with experts from Nepal and other countries taking part in the sessions.  A colourful cultural procession featuring representatives from participating countries will also be organised as part of the conference.  The organisers have also arranged visits to historical and tourist sites in Nepal and initiatives to introduce the guests to local traditional foods.  The conference aims to enhance professionalism in indigenous language journalism, establish its importance in government policies and open new avenues for preserving languages, scripts, cultures and traditions worldwide.