United News of Bangladesh

Oil prices rose sharply in early Asian trading on Tuesday as investors monitored tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route. Brent crude climbed 2.8% to $103.08 per barrel, while US-traded crude increased nearly 3% to $96.25. Traders remain alert for signs that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz will continue without disruption and for indications of easing regional tensions. Prices had eased slightly on Monday after reports that several ships safely navigated the strategic waterway, which has been targeted by Iran in response to US and Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, stock markets across Asia opened slightly higher, including key indexes in Japan and South Korea, both heavily dependent on oil supplies from the Gulf region. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose by 0.25%, while South Korea’s Kospi index gained more than 2.5%. Technology shares helped lift the Kospi after chipmaker Nvidia projected trillion-dollar sales by 2027 and announced several major deals with large companies.   With inputs from BBC

At least eight people were killed and more than 50 injured when the roof of a shop collapsed in a village in eastern Pakistan on Monday as women gathered to receive government welfare payments, police and rescue officials said. Rescue worker Ashiq Mahmood said the roof caved in due to the pressure of a large crowd. According to him, the shopkeeper had asked some of the more than 100 women present to move onto the roof while others stayed inside the shop, which caused the structure to give way. Six killed as militants attack house in southwest Pakistan    The incident occurred in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province, where women had assembled to collect financial assistance ahead of Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The payments were being distributed under the Benazir Income Support Program, a government initiative named after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a gun and bomb attack in 2007. The programme provides cash support to millions of low-income families across the country, many of them headed by women. Eligible families receive quarterly payments of 13,000 Pakistani rupees, equivalent to about $45. Crowding and stampedes are not uncommon in Pakistan during Ramadan when government bodies, charities and businesses distribute food and cash among poor families. In 2023, at least 11 women and children died in a stampede at a Ramadan aid distribution centre in Karachi after hundreds of people rushed to collect assistance outside a factory.

North Korea fired around 10 ballistic missiles into the eastern sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, in a show of force coinciding with joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises. The missiles were launched from Sunan, near Pyongyang’s international airport, and flew about 350 km (220 miles), landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. No damage to ships or aircraft was reported. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said they have increased surveillance and remain on high alert for additional launches while sharing information closely with the U.S. and Japan. The salvo came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, aiming to explore renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang. However, the launches signal North Korea’s defiance, as it has hardened its stance toward Seoul and urged Washington to drop denuclearization preconditions. North Korea has historically described U.S.-South Korea drills as invasion rehearsals, using them to justify missile tests or military demonstrations. Its leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, condemned the ongoing drills as destabilizing, warning of “terrible consequences” for challenges to North Korean security. The current 11-day “Freedom Shield” exercise, running through March 19, is a largely simulated command-post drill designed to test joint operational capabilities, complemented by a field program called “Warrior Shield.” Separately, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and expressed support for Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Analysts note Pyongyang is increasingly aligning with Russia, sending troops and military aid to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for arms and technology. The missile launch heightens regional tensions amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and raises concerns about security gaps in South Korea, especially as reports circulate that some U.S. missile defense assets may be temporarily redeployed to the Middle East.

North Korea has expressed support for Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader and strongly condemned what it called the “illegal” attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, according to state media. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday quoted a spokesperson from North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that Pyongyang respects Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike at the start of the conflict on February 28. “Regarding the official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader,” the spokesperson said. The North Korean official also criticized the US and Israel for launching “unlawful military attacks” on Iran, stating that such actions undermine regional peace, international stability, and Iran’s political system and territorial integrity. “This is unacceptable and must be condemned and rejected by the entire world,” the statement added. KCNA recalled that North Korea had already denounced the US-Israel war on Iran, describing it as “gangster-like conduct” in the Middle East. The report also highlighted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the country’s newest and largest naval destroyer, the Choe Hyon. According to KCNA, Kim emphasized the importance of “maintaining and expanding a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent.” This marks the second missile test from the destroyer under Kim’s supervision, who previously praised efforts to equip the Navy with nuclear capabilities. North Korea has long resisted US efforts to dismantle its nuclear program, citing the need to defend against potential threats from South Korea and its allies. Recent statements from both North Korea and the Trump administration have indicated a potential willingness to resume high-level talks, with Kim suggesting that the two nations could “get along” if the US recognizes North Korea as a nuclear power. #From AlJazeera

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, slammed the United States and South Korea for going ahead with their annual joint military exercises, calling them dangerous for global security and warning of “terrible consequences” if North Korea’s safety is threatened. Her remarks came Tuesday, a day after the allies launched the 11-day ‘Freedom Shield’ drills, which involve thousands of troops and coincide with heightened U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Without explicitly mentioning the Iran conflict, Kim Yo Jong said the exercises undermine regional stability at a time when global security is “collapsing rapidly” and conflicts are erupting worldwide due to “reckless acts of outrageous international rogues.” Freedom Shield is a largely computer-simulated exercise aimed at testing U.S.-South Korea joint operational capabilities, often accompanied by the ‘Warrior Shield’ field training program. North Korea has long described such drills as rehearsals for invasion and frequently responds with its own weapons tests, while the allies maintain the exercises are defensive. Highlighting Pyongyang’s growing nuclear capabilities, Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would continue strengthening its “destructive power” and repeatedly demonstrate its war deterrence against perceived threats. Meanwhile, South Korean President ‘Lee Jae Myung’acknowledged that some U.S. defensive systems, including Patriot missiles, may be moved from South Korea to support Middle East operations but stressed such relocations would not seriously weaken Seoul’s defenses against the North. North Korea has criticized U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as “illegal acts of aggression” disguised as peacekeeping. Amid a diplomatic freeze with Washington and Seoul, Kim Jong Un has leaned into a Cold War-style foreign policy, boosting ties with Moscow and Beijing, while portraying Pyongyang as part of a united front against the U.S. Pyongyang and Tehran were among the few nations supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have been accused of supplying military aid to Moscow. On a separate note, South Korea’s ‘Unification Ministry’said train services between Pyongyang and Beijing may resume this week for the first time in six years, potentially expanding exchanges and trade after border restrictions eased in 2022. Kim has also sought closer ties with China, meeting President ‘Xi Jinping’last September for their first summit in six years.

Counting in Nepal’s parliamentary elections is ongoing as the party of rapper-turned-politician and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah is on track to secure a two-thirds majority, a historic outcome in the country’s dual-voting system. Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has so far won 124 of 165 directly elected seats and 58 of 110 proportional representation seats, leaving it just two seats short of a supermajority. If achieved, it would mark the first time in decades that a single party dominates Nepal’s lower house. The 35-year-old Shah also defeated four-time Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the Japha 5 constituency, a traditional stronghold of Oli’s Communist Party, while other RSP candidates beat senior leaders including Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa. Supporters celebrated across the country, ringing bells – the RSP’s election symbol. The elections follow deadly Gen Z protests six months ago over corruption, inequality, and elite rule that toppled Oli’s government. Analysts say the results reflect voters’ desire for political renewal and stronger governance. Despite the landslide, constitutional changes remain limited as the upper house is separately elected. Nepal’s new parliament building, damaged and unfinished during the protests, is expected to host sessions by late March. International leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have congratulated Shah and the RSP. The vote also brought record youth representation, with 12 lawmakers under 30 securing seats through direct elections, highlighting the growing influence of Nepal’s younger generation.   With inputs from BBC

Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid on Sunday said the country does not intend to escalate hostilities with Pakistan and favors resolving tensions through dialogue. In an interview with TOLOnews, Mujahid emphasized that Afghanistan has not provoked recent clashes but has been forced to respond to incursions. “Our message to the mediating countries is that we do not seek war and that we believe in negotiations,” he said. Military tensions between the two neighbors have risen in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of initiating violence.

Preliminary and partial results released Saturday showed a new political party led by an ex-rapper is in front in Nepal's parliamentary election, the country's first since last year's youth-led revolt. The Rastriya Swatantra, or National Independent, party, had already won 60 of 165 directly elected seats and was leading in 61 other constituencies in the results published by Nepal's Election Commission. Its prime ministerial candidate is rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race and emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. The 35-year-old highlighted health and education for poor Nepalis as a key focus of his campaign, which rode a wave of public anger toward traditional political parties. Shah, running directly against Oli in a southeastern district, won the seat with a wide margin securing almost four times as many votes as the former prime minister. The 13 seats announced so far for other parties went to the Nepal Congress party and two communist parties. Voters are directly electing 165 members to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Parliament. The remaining 110 seats in the 275-member body will be allocated through a proportional representation system, under which political parties are allocated seats based on their share of the vote. Vote counting was continuing in most of the country's constituencies Saturday and final results are expected within the next two days. Ballot boxes were being collected from remote mountain villages in the northern parts of the country using helicopters. The election is widely seen as a three-way contest, shaped by voter frustration over widespread corruption and demands for greater government accountability. The Rastriya Swatantra Party was founded only in 2022, but gained huge support this election, posing a strong challenge to two long-dominant parties: the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) The 2025 protests against corruption and poor governance were triggered by a social media ban before snowballing into a popular revolt against the government. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them.

Indian authorities have provided refuge to 183 sailors aboard the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan after the vessel requested urgent assistance amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. According to a Indian government official, the ship sent a distress call on February 28, the same day the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, reports Al Jazeera. India approved the ship’s berthing in Kochi on March 1, and it has been docked there since March 4. The government has arranged accommodation for the sailors during their stay. The announcement comes amid criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, which had participated in Indian-hosted naval exercises, was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. The attack killed more than 80 sailors, rescued 32, and left hundreds missing. India has so far avoided publicly criticizing the U.S. over the incident. Officials stressed that the Lavan docking was granted due to urgent technical issues and was unrelated to the previous attack on the Dena.

The European Union (EU) congratulated the interim government of Nepal and the electoral and security authorities for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they took place, said the EU Spokesperson in a statement on Friday. The EU said it looks forward to further deepening our longstanding partnership with Nepal and to advancing our shared priorities.