United News of Bangladesh

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced a new voluntary military service for thousands of 18- and 19-year-olds, a move he says will help strengthen France’s armed forces amid rising concerns over Russia’s ambitions in Europe. Speaking at the Varces military base in the French Alps, Macron said the 10-month program will begin next summer and will deploy young volunteers across mainland France and overseas territories — but not to combat missions abroad. “In an uncertain world where power often outweighs law, our nation cannot afford fear or unpreparedness,” Macron said, calling the youth program a “new national service” that will be phased in gradually. The first group of 3,000 volunteers will be selected next summer. The intake is expected to rise to 10,000 a year by 2030, with a long-term target of 50,000 participants annually by 2035, depending on global security conditions. Volunteers will be given military status, pay, and equipment. After a month of basic training, they will spend nine months assigned to military units, performing the same duties as active-duty personnel. After completing the program, they will enter the military reserve while continuing their studies or careers. Those interested may pursue full-time military service. Macron stressed that reinstating conscription — abolished in 1996 — is not on the table. Only in “exceptional circumstances,” and with parliamentary approval, could national service become compulsory for people identified as having key skills during France’s mandatory one-day defense course for youth. The new initiative comes as Macron repeatedly warns that Russia’s war in Ukraine poses a serious threat to Europe. France plans to increase defense spending by €6.5 billion over the next two years and is aiming for €64 billion in annual defense expenditures by 2027 — double the amount when Macron took office in 2017. The national service program alone accounts for more than €2 billion in the 2026–2030 budget plan. France currently has about 200,000 active military personnel and more than 40,000 reservists — the second-largest force in the European Union after Poland. The government aims to boost the number of reservists to 100,000 by 2030. The announcement follows a stark warning from France’s new army chief, Gen. Fabien Mandon, who recently said the country must prepare for the possibility of “losing its children” in a future conflict with Russia, drawing criticism across the political spectrum. He cited Russia’s past actions — including territorial seizures in Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — and said Moscow appears to be preparing for a confrontation with NATO by 2030. Other European countries are also expanding or revamping military service programs. Germany is planning a new voluntary service scheme; Belgium has invited 17-year-olds to apply for a pilot service program; and Poland aims to train 100,000 volunteers per year from 2027 under its voluntary reserve system. Ten EU nations currently have compulsory service, including Finland, Greece, and Sweden, while non-EU member Norway mandates service for both men and women, lasting up to 19 months.  

Bulgaria’s government on Thursday announced it is withdrawing its draft 2026 budget following widespread street protests against steep tax hikes and international warnings over fiscal plans. The decision was announced by Boyko Borissov, leader of the ruling center-right GERB party, who called for renewed dialogue with employers and labor unions to reach a consensus on the state budget. The turmoil comes as Bulgaria prepares to join the eurozone next year. The proposed budget had sparked public concern for its economic impact, including increased social security contributions and a doubling of the dividend tax. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said the budget, approved in parliament on a first reading, will be revised after consultations with social partners and opposition parties to correct its “defects.” “The new budget package should remain balanced and align with the goals of the government coalition. This will ensure Bulgaria can join the eurozone on January 1 without problems,” he said. Opposition groups and business representatives warned that higher taxes and planned spending could hinder investment and expand the shadow economy. Earlier, the European Commission said the draft budget risked breaching the EU’s recommended cap on net expenditure growth, while the IMF urged tighter fiscal measures. The largest protests occurred Wednesday night, with thousands gathering in front of parliament to oppose a 2-percentage-point rise in pension contributions and a 10% dividend tax. Demonstrators also demanded transparency in public spending and criticized planned government expenditure, estimated at a record 46% of GDP for next year. Organizers said more than 20,000 people took part. Critics argued that the higher spending would rely on increased taxes on businesses and workers, along with rising public debt, potentially fueling inflation without improving public service efficiency.  

Britain’s Treasury chief Rachel Reeves headed to Parliament on Wednesday to unveil a high-stakes budget that is expected to raise taxes once again, as the Labour government tries to steady the economy, reassure markets and win back weary voters. Reeves, who posed outside No. 11 Downing Street with the traditional red budget box before leaving for the House of Commons, is preparing to argue that additional tax increases are unavoidable to restore the nation’s troubled finances. In a video message released earlier in the day, she said she would make “fair and necessary choices” to ease living costs, protect essential services and keep public debt in check — while promising the most ambitious economic growth plan in a generation. The chancellor delivered a similar message during her first budget a year ago, insisting then that it would be Labour’s only major tax-raising package this term. But sluggish economic performance has upended that pledge. Growth that appeared to rebound earlier in the year has stalled again, with critics pointing to last year’s business tax hikes as a drag. Economists say Reeves must locate roughly £20–30 billion ($26–39 billion) in revenue. Rather than breaking Labour’s promise not to raise income tax rates, she is expected to extend income-tax threshold freezes, effectively pushing more earners into higher tax brackets as wages rise. Other changes may include adjustments to capital gains taxes, limits on tax-free pension allowances and potentially a levy on high-value properties. The political stakes are high. Despite Labour’s sweeping 2024 election victory, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is struggling with falling poll numbers and growing unrest within his party. A poorly received budget could deepen speculation about a leadership challenge as Labour trails far-right Reform UK in several surveys.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, has emerged as a central figure in shaping Moscow’s latest proposal to end the war in Ukraine, despite lacking formal diplomatic credentials. A former investment banker, Dmitriev has acted as a back-channel communicator between the Kremlin and allies of U.S. President Donald Trump, even though he is on the U.S. sanctions list. Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat who resigned in protest over Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, said Dmitriev’s outsider status could be an advantage when dealing with Trump’s business-oriented contacts. Born in Kyiv in 1975, Dmitriev studied in the U.S. through a school exchange program and later graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School. He worked with Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company before establishing a reputation in private equity in Russia and Ukraine. In 2011, Dmitriev became CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), representing Russia internationally and negotiating financial partnerships with countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Analysts describe him as a pragmatic negotiator with a business-focused approach, well-suited to dialogue with Trump-era U.S. officials. Dmitriev also has personal ties to the Russian leadership. His wife, Natalia Popova, is deputy director of Innopraktika, a nonprofit led by President Vladimir Putin’s daughter, Katerina Tikhonova. In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Dmitriev and the RDIF were sanctioned by the U.S., which called him “a close associate of Putin.” In February 2025, Dmitriev was appointed Russian special presidential envoy on foreign investment and economic cooperation. He has previously met prominent Trump allies, including Erik Prince, during efforts to improve U.S.-Russia relations. While Dmitriev’s role in the Ukraine peace plan remains informal, analysts say any proposal he helps draft would still require Kremlin approval and likely undergo significant revisions. His influence is notable but could be quickly curtailed if Moscow decides to distance itself.  

Four more people have been taken into custody in connection with last month’s high-profile jewel robbery at the Louvre Museum, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that two men and two women, all residents of the greater Paris area and aged between 31 and 40, were arrested as part of the widening investigation. Authorities did not disclose the specific roles the four are believed to have played in the Oct. 19 theft. Under French law, they may be held for up to 96 hours of questioning. None of the stolen items — valued at roughly $102 million — has yet been recovered. The missing collection includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, pieces linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and a pearl-and-diamond tiara worn by Empress Eugénie. Earlier arrests targeted other suspected members of the team believed to have executed the rapid daytime break-in. Investigating judges previously filed preliminary charges of robbery and criminal conspiracy against three men and a woman detained in October. The audacious theft has renewed scrutiny of security measures at the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. The robbers took less than eight minutes to enter through a window into the Apollo Gallery, smash open display cases with power tools, and flee with the jewels via a freight elevator, where scooter riders were waiting. Empress Eugénie’s emerald-studded imperial crown featuring over 1,300 diamonds— was later found abandoned outside the museum.

The head of the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee has raised doubts over whether the BBC board is in “safe hands” under its chair Samir Shah, calling his testimony to MPs “wishy-washy” amid an escalating crisis at the broadcaster. Shah appeared before the committee on Monday as the BBC grapples with the resignations of its director general and head of news, following controversy over its handling of impartiality complaints. Speaking to BBC’s World Tonight after the hearing, committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was worried about a lack of “grip at the heart of BBC governance,” noting that Shah did not offer clear answers on how the board would act more decisively. Shah insisted he would not quit, telling MPs he intended to “steady the ship” and “fix it.” He confirmed that the search for a new director general had begun and said he supported creating a deputy DG role, arguing the top job had become “too big for one person.” The crisis stems from a leaked memo written by former external editorial adviser Michael Prescott, which criticised how a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited for the Panorama programme. The BBC later apologised, saying the edit had given the “mistaken impression” Trump had urged violence, but Shah admitted the apology took too long because of internal disagreements. Dame Caroline said MPs “weren’t wildly enthused” by Shah’s assurances. “Everything was very wishy-washy… we didn’t get the sense the board has proper grip,” she said, adding that stronger answers would be required in the coming months. Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes also told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that the corporation faced “serious issues with editorial decision making,” saying the board had “a lot to do” to put things right. Prescott, who also appeared before MPs, warned that problems were “getting worse” and said he feared the board was not taking concerns seriously enough, although he did not believe the BBC was “institutionally biased.” Other senior figures, including board member Sir Robbie Gibb, also defended themselves before the committee. Gibb dismissed claims he orchestrated a politically motivated coup as “complete nonsense.” In a message to BBC staff on Monday, Shah said that appointing a new director general would be his “top priority,” and confirmed a review was underway into how the Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee operates to ensure it has proper authority and representation. Both outgoing DG Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness have rejected allegations of systemic bias within the BBC.   Source: BBC

A British politician and former ally of Nigel Farage was sentenced Friday to more than 10 years in prison for accepting bribes to make pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight counts of bribery. Police said he took around 40,000 pounds ($53,000) in payments between December 2018 and July 2019. Prosecutors said Gill, who served in the European Parliament until the U.K. left the European Union in 2020, was instructed by Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn to make statements supporting Russia on events in Ukraine. He also published opinion pieces in outlets like 112 Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.K. has been a major supporter of Ukraine since the invasion. At London’s Old Bailey, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said Gill had allowed money to “corrupt his moral compass” and had failed in his duty to act with honesty as an elected official. Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport in September 2021 while trying to travel to Russia and was formally charged in February 2025. Investigators found messages on his phone showing financial dealings with Voloshyn and efforts to influence other European Parliament members to support Russia. Gill was first elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the U.K. Independence Party, later representing the Brexit Party, and led the Welsh branch of Reform U.K. in 2021. Gill’s sentencing has prompted calls for wider investigations into Russian interference in British politics. Reform U.K. described his actions as “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable,” while Farage called him a “bad apple” and said such cases can happen in any party. Voloshyn, linked to Ukrainian media outlets, is believed to be in Russia and is wanted by authorities in both Britain and Ukraine.  

A Russian glide bomb struck a residential neighborhood in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing five people as Moscow’s forces continued to target civilian areas, officials said Friday. Another 10 people, including a teenage girl, were injured in the attack, which came as details surfaced of a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war. Ukrainian officials are reviewing the plan, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days. Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, said the powerful munition damaged several high-rise apartment buildings — the third such strike on the area since the full-scale invasion began — and also devastated a nearby market. Glide bombs, retrofitted Soviet-era weapons released by Russian aircraft flying at high altitude, have become one of the most destructive tools in Moscow’s campaign. Ukraine has struggled to counter them, and the weapons have inflicted severe damage across multiple front-line cities for months. Russian strike kills 19 in western Ukraine as Zelenskyy arrives in Turkey for talks In a separate overnight assault, a Russian drone strike on the southern port city of Odesa hit a residential district, injuring five people, including a 16-year-old boy. The latest attacks follow a deadly barrage of drones and missiles on the western city of Ternopil two days earlier, which killed 31 people — among them six children — and injured 94 others. Emergency services said 13 people remain missing after the strikes collapsed the upper floors of apartment buildings and sparked multiple fires. Source: AP

A massive overnight barrage of Russian drones and missiles struck the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, killing 19 people and injuring at least 66 others, authorities said on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Turkey to seek fresh diplomatic support against Moscow’s invasion. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the attack hit two nine-storey apartment buildings, where emergency crews continued searching the rubble for survivors. Ternopil, located about 200 kilometres from the Polish border, has been regarded as one of Ukraine’s safer regions since the start of the war. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 476 strike and decoy drones and 48 missiles of various types during the night, including 47 cruise missiles. Air defences shot down all but six cruise missiles, it said. Western-supplied F-16 and Mirage-2000 jets intercepted at least 10 of them. “Every brazen attack against ordinary life indicates that the pressure on Russia is insufficient,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Zelenskyy said he would meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Wednesday as part of efforts to increase international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the talks would focus on strengthening diplomatic efforts to secure “a just peace.” The Ukrainian leader also referred to “some positions and signals” from the United States, without elaborating. Tough new US sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry are set to take effect on Friday, aimed at pushing Moscow toward negotiations. A senior Turkish official initially said US special envoy Steve Witkoff would join Zelenskyy in Turkey but later retracted that statement, noting the envoy would not attend. Elsewhere in Ukraine, nearly 50 people were injured in Russian strikes across three other regions. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted Ukrainian energy facilities, drone depots and military-industrial sites in response to Kyiv’s recent attacks on Russian territory. Romania scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon jets and two F-16s after a drone entered its airspace during the strikes, its defence ministry said. Poland also deployed military aircraft overnight and temporarily closed Rzeszów and Lublin airports to prioritise military flights. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Russian drones injured 46 people, including two children, regional chief Oleh Syniehubov said. The attacks damaged residential buildings, a school, an ambulance station and other civilian infrastructure. Russia, meanwhile, claimed Ukraine fired four US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday. The missiles were intercepted but debris damaged several buildings. There were no casualties, according to Moscow. Ukraine’s military said it fired ATACMS missiles but provided no details.  

A massive fire ripped through a landmark skyscraper in central Zagreb late Monday, severely damaging the building but causing no casualties, according to Croatian officials. The blaze erupted near the top floors of the 16-story Vjesnik tower — named after a prominent newspaper once headquartered there — and rapidly spread downward, Croatian media reported. Firefighters were unable to enter as flames engulfed multiple levels, with around 100 personnel deployed to contain the blaze. The tower was nearly empty when the fire started shortly before midnight. By midday Tuesday, firefighters had largely extinguished the flames, although parts of the structure continued to smolder. Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said the damage appeared “total” after inspecting the site but expressed confidence that reconstruction would begin soon given its prominent location. Local outlet Index.hr reported that pieces of the tower fell during the fire and that the blaze may have spread through ventilation shafts.