United News of Bangladesh

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 111 people and damaging hundreds of buildings, President Abelardo de la Espriella said. The president declared a state of emergency to speed up funding for recovery efforts and said he would travel to the disaster zone, which is centered in the rural Choco region. The earthquake’s epicenter was in San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in Choco, roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological agency. The USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers). Tremors were also felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, although only limited damage was reported there. Before the death toll was revised to 111, local authorities had confirmed at least 40 deaths in Risaralda, where the badly affected city of Pereira is located, and 27 in Valle del Cauca, home to Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali. At least three of those killed in Valle del Cauca were children, the governor said. Authorities also reported nine deaths in Choco, two in Caldas and one involving a 73-year-old man in Antioquia. Many others were injured across the country. The earthquake devastated cities in western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales. Residents and rescue crews searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings as authorities warned of possible aftershocks. Colombia’s interior minister said more than 20 municipalities had been affected. The Pacific region around the quake’s epicenter lies along the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of seismic faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. Choco is among Colombia’s poorest regions, and much of the densely forested area is rural and accessible only by boat or plane, potentially making it difficult for authorities to determine the full extent of the damage and casualties. Strongest earthquake in Colombia in a decade Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw clouds of dust rising across the city as buildings collapsed. Residents and rescue workers were searching through the debris for survivors. “My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake,” he said. “We’re thanking God we’re alive.” Colombia’s Geological Service said the quake was the strongest recorded in the country over the past decade. It was followed by two aftershocks measuring 2.8 and 4.8 in magnitude. Authorities also suspended flights at airports in Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira. The disaster further unsettled Colombians following two consecutive earthquakes that devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 5,000 people. As buildings collapsed in Colombia, families in Venezuela were still searching through the ruins for the remains of loved ones. In Pereira, photos and videos published by local media showed sections of the airport ceiling collapsing onto travelers who had taken shelter, while people screamed and ran through the debris. Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told a local radio station that at least 18 people had died and many others were trapped beneath “a massive quantity of collapsed buildings.” In nearby Manizales, a city in Colombia’s coffee-producing mountains, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto the nave. Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas urged residents to remain outside because of the risk of aftershocks. Authorities in rural Choco, where the earthquake was centered, reported injuries and damage to buildings in the regional capital but provided few details. In Cali, a city of about 2 million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings. Powerful earthquakes rare in Colombia Small earthquakes, locally known as “temblores,” are common in central and western Colombia, but quakes above magnitude 6.0 are rare. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake near Armenia in 1999 killed more than 1,100 people. President de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government’s response to the emergency in San Jose del Palmar. “You are not alone. The state is present and taking action,” he said. The earthquake response represents the first major challenge for de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as president over the weekend. Messages of support came from leaders across the Americas, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and the United States. “The Trump administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. Several countries offered assistance, while U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the United Nations was “ready to help as needed.”

A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American country and neighboring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological agency both measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.4, describing it as relatively deep. Both agencies placed the epicenter near San Jose del Palmar, a community about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Colombia’s capital, Bogota. Authorities did not immediately report any damage or injuries. The earthquake comes after two back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela in late June. Those quakes destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people.

At least five people were killed in both Russia and Ukraine as the two countries exchanged drone and aerial attacks, officials said Tuesday. Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike in the Moscow region killed five people and injured 10 others. Separately, officials in the Krasnodar region said the death toll from Monday's drone attack on the Black Sea resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka had risen to seven, including four children. Ukraine has not commented on the reported strike. Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 320 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukrainian officials said drones had also targeted warehouses operated by Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries. Meanwhile, Ukraine said Russian attacks killed at least five civilians in separate strikes across Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. In Sumy, two young girls and an elderly woman were among those killed after Russian glide bomb attacks. In Kramatorsk, two glide bombs injured 22 people, while attacks in Mykolaiv, Odesa and Kharkiv caused additional casualties and damage. Russia also said it struck Ukrainian ports and shipping infrastructure along the Black Sea, while Turkey renewed its call for both sides to ensure safe navigation, warning that escalating attacks could threaten global food security. According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago.

A serviceman in Russian-occupied Crimea opened fire on fellow soldiers and civilians, killing four people and injuring four others, according to the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol. Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev said Tuesday that the shooting took place in the village of Khmelnytske, part of Sevastopol, but did not specify when the incident occurred. According to the governor, the serviceman first shot at fellow soldiers, killing one and injuring another. He then allegedly opened fire on civilians, leaving three dead and three more wounded. The suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, has been detained, Razvozhayev said. Authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting, though no information has been provided about a possible motive. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move widely condemned by the international community as illegal. The Black Sea peninsula has since become a key strategic base for Moscow's military operations in Ukraine. During the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion, troops stationed in Crimea advanced into southern Ukraine and established a land corridor linking the peninsula to Russian-controlled territory. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have stepped up strikes on Russian supply routes to Crimea, contributing to significant fuel shortages in the region, which typically attracts large numbers of tourists during the warmer season.

A massive wildfire near Bordeaux that burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced around 224,000 people to evacuate remained contained on Sunday, although it was still burning. Meanwhile, a separate wildfire in the Provence region stopped spreading overnight but had not yet been brought under control. Around 3,000 firefighters were deployed across the two fire zones, working to extinguish hotspots, create firebreaks and secure burned areas as high temperatures and strong winds continued to pose the risk of flare-ups. The wildfire in the Gironde region scorched about 420 square kilometres in just 10 days before authorities announced over the weekend that its spread had been stopped. "The fire is now fixed, which does not mean that the fire is extinguished," the Gironde prefecture said on Sunday, using the French firefighting term for a blaze that has been contained within its perimeter. The region remains under France's highest red forest fire alert, with dry weather, soaring temperatures and afternoon winds raising concerns that the flames could reignite. Additional firefighting teams from Ukraine, Lithuania and French Polynesia were expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday to strengthen the response. Scientists at World Weather Attribution said in a rapid analysis released on Thursday that human-caused climate change had doubled the likelihood of the extreme fire conditions that fueled the wildfires in France. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s. The Gironde wildfire triggered one of the largest peacetime evacuations in modern French history, leaving many thousands of residents still displaced or unable to return home. In southeastern France's Var department, nearly 1,500 firefighters continued battling another wildfire that burned around 18 square kilometres in just over a day. Officials said the fire in the Gros Bessillon hills was stabilised on Sunday morning, meaning it had not expanded overnight. However, unlike the Gironde wildfire, it had not yet been officially declared contained. Firefighting aircraft assisted ground crews as they worked to prevent the flames from reaching villages surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and wooded hills in the Green Provence region. About 2,500 people were evacuated as the fire threatened nearby communities. The latest blaze is the fourth major wildfire to hit central Var since July 19. Earlier this week, another smaller wildfire near Brignoles forced Hollywood actor George Clooney, his family and around 700 other residents to evacuate before firefighters brought it under control. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the country's wildfires were largely under control but warned that changing weather conditions continued to pose a serious challenge. He also announced the appointment of a national coordinator to oversee reconstruction efforts in fire-affected areas. More than 1,170 square kilometres have been burned by wildfires across France since the beginning of the year.

Thousands of migrants crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment to restore border control. Spain’s Interior Ministry said it would ensure public safety and protect the country’s borders but said migration concerns did not justify declaring a national emergency. “The situation is absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta. He said thousands of people had crossed and the border had “totally collapsed.” Videos showed large groups, mostly young Moroccan men but also families with women and children, entering through the Tarajal beach area. Some migrants shouted “Viva España!” as they arrived. Authorities have not yet identified the reason behind the sudden surge. The crossings followed a sharp increase in attempts to reach Ceuta by sea on Wednesday, when at least three people died while trying to swim from Morocco. Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the situation. Spain said Morocco was cooperating to stop further crossings and help return those who entered illegally. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is expected to visit Ceuta on Friday. Ceuta’s regional leader Juan Jesús Vivas urged Madrid to declare a national emergency and send more police and soldiers to secure the border, saying additional forces were needed to protect residents and maintain control. More than 1,500 migrants had entered Ceuta in the previous week, overwhelming reception facilities, officials said. Spain’s Interior Ministry said nearly 3,000 migrants had reached the territory by land or sea as of July 15. The latest influx recalled a similar crisis in May 2021, when more than 8,000 migrants entered Ceuta over two days during a diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco. Ceuta, a Spanish territory on Africa’s northern coast, has long been a major entry point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

French authorities on Thursday allowed about 84,000 people evacuated by a massive wildfire in the country's southwest to return home, as cooler temperatures and improved weather conditions helped firefighters gain the upper hand against one of France's largest recent blazes. The wildfire, which has scorched around 42,000 hectares of land in the Gironde region near Bordeaux, is no longer spreading, officials said, although firefighting operations continue to extinguish remaining hotspots. The return of residents marks a significant step forward after about 224,000 people were forced to evacuate at the height of the crisis. Regional authorities advised returning residents to wear gloves and face masks while cleaning ash from their homes and to remain prepared in case renewed evacuations become necessary. The A63 motorway south of Bordeaux, a key transport route linking France and Spain, has also reopened ahead of the busy August holiday season. More than 3,300 firefighters, supported by aircraft, helicopters and international assistance, remain engaged in containing the blaze. Crews are creating firebreaks, removing vegetation and carrying out controlled burns to prevent the fire from reigniting. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police water cannons had also been deployed to help extinguish lingering hotspots. A drop in temperatures, higher humidity and light rainfall have provided much-needed relief after France endured its fourth heatwave of the year. Across southern Europe, however, extreme heat continues to fuel wildfires. Firefighters remained engaged in battling blazes in Spain, Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom, while Greece reported the deaths of three firefighters on the island of Crete. In Romania, authorities shut down both reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant because low water levels in the Danube River affected cooling operations. Successive heatwaves and prolonged dry conditions have left much of southern Europe vulnerable to wildfires, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and holiday destinations in recent weeks.

Ukraine said Wednesday that its forces struck one of Russia's largest oil refineries overnight, intensifying military and economic pressure on Moscow just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump in Washington. Ukraine's General Staff said the overnight drone strike set fire to the Ryazan oil refinery, one of Russia's largest refining facilities, with an annual processing capacity of about 17 million tons of crude oil. The plant produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and other petroleum products. The refinery is located in Russia's Ryazan region, roughly 400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. The latest attack is part of Ukraine's sustained campaign of long-range drone and missile strikes targeting Russia's energy infrastructure. Kyiv has increasingly relied on domestically developed weapons to hit oil depots and refineries deep inside Russian territory, seeking to disrupt fuel supplies and increase economic pressure on the Kremlin. The strike came hours after Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, where he held talks with Trump as Ukraine seeks continued US military, financial and diplomatic support in its war against Russia. Ryazan regional governor Pavel Malkov said six people were hospitalized following the drone attack. He said debris from downed drones caused fires at several unspecified industrial facilities but did not directly confirm damage to the refinery. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said Russia must continue to bear increasing costs for the war. "Russia must feel that every day of this war will only come at a higher cost for it. We need to weaken the aggressor and keep up the pressure to bring an end to this war closer," he said. Ukraine's recent long-range strikes against Russian military and energy targets have been viewed as a demonstration of its growing domestic defense capabilities. The operations have also helped strengthen support in Washington after uncertainty earlier in Trump's second term over the future of US assistance to Kyiv.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday it has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and placed him on an international wanted list, escalating Moscow's campaign to tighten control over online platforms. The move comes as Russian authorities continue to impose restrictions on Telegram, one of the country's most widely used messaging apps, amid a broader effort to strengthen state oversight of the internet since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. In a statement, the FSB accused Telegram's management of failing to remove numerous channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and groups designated by Russia as terrorist or extremist organizations to coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, cyberfraud and other attacks that resulted in casualties. The agency also claimed Ukrainian security services had used a Telegram-based dating chatbot to recruit Russians for sabotage and terrorist activities. According to the FSB, 46 users of the chatbot, aged between 12 and 22, have been detained across Russia since July 2025 on allegations including attacks on law enforcement officers and arson. Earlier this year, Durov disclosed that Russian authorities had opened a criminal case against him, accusing the government of manufacturing grounds to restrict Telegram in an attempt to curb privacy and freedom of expression. If convicted, Durov could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Russian law. Telegram did not immediately comment on the latest charges. According to the company's website, Telegram is headquartered in Dubai, where Durov—who holds French and United Arab Emirates citizenship—also resides. Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has steadily tightened control over the internet through restrictive legislation, website bans and technological measures aimed at monitoring online traffic. Popular platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X have been blocked, YouTube has been slowed, while Signal and Viber have been banned. Access to WhatsApp and Telegram has also been restricted. Durov previously founded the Russian social media platform VK before launching Telegram. Russia unsuccessfully attempted to block Telegram between 2018 and 2020. Although many users continue to bypass internet restrictions through virtual private networks (VPNs), Russian authorities have also sought to block many VPN services. At the same time, Moscow has been promoting a state-backed messaging platform known as MAX, which officials describe as an all-in-one service for messaging, government services and digital payments. Critics, however, say the platform could facilitate government surveillance, noting that it shares user data with authorities upon request and does not provide end-to-end encryption. Durov has also faced legal scrutiny outside Russia. In 2024, he was arrested in Paris over allegations that Telegram had been used for criminal activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse material. He later said he returned to Dubai in March 2025 after spending several months in France. Following Durov's arrest in France, the Kremlin criticized the French authorities, describing their actions as "selective" while questioning why similar action had not been taken against other technology platform operators facing comparable allegations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Monday at a British naval base, discussing joint drone projects and Ukraine’s urgent need for ballistic missile interceptors to defend against Russian attacks. Zelenskyy’s visit was the first by a foreign leader since Burnham took office a week ago. The prime minister said the visit demonstrated Britain’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s nearly four-year-old full-scale invasion. Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, visited Kyiv less than two weeks ago on his final foreign trip before leaving office. Burnham said he also planned to visit Ukraine soon. Burnham is the fifth British prime minister Zelenskyy has dealt with since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. “You are the first leader I have welcomed in person since taking office, and that is no accident,” Burnham told Zelenskyy. “It is intended to send a very clear message: we are with Ukraine 100%, I am personally with you 100%, and I will honor every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full.” Zelenskyy said relations between the two countries were “stronger than ever.” The meeting took place aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, docked at Portsmouth on England’s southern coast, a day before Zelenskyy is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington. Burnham said the two leaders had discussed Kyiv’s need for more interceptors to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, particularly to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure during the winter. “We’ve taken away some things that we will now follow up with our partners,” Burnham said after the meeting. Russia has stepped up attacks this year on gas stations, power facilities and other infrastructure as part of a wider campaign aimed at disrupting Ukraine’s logistics and energy networks. Zelenskyy said on X that the leaders also discussed “joint defense production.” Britain and Ukraine already have an agreement to cooperate on the development of new drones. Before the meeting, Zelenskyy told Sky News that he hoped to establish a “big, big factory” in Britain. The leaders also met more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel who had spent three weeks in Britain taking part in an exercise designed to strengthen their combat capabilities and improve measures to counter mines in the Black Sea, according to the UK government. Burnham announced that Britain would provide Ukraine with the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system. The technology can jam Russian air defenses and prevent drones from being detected. Ukraine has expanded its campaign of frequent drone strikes deep inside Russia, targeting oil facilities, military factories and, most recently, logistics centers. The attacks have brought the war closer to millions of Russians and increased pressure on President Vladimir Putin. The strikes have challenged Putin’s narrative that the war does not directly affect ordinary Russians. However, he has remained undeterred, while Russia has intensified its own aerial campaign, regularly attacking Ukraine with missiles and drones. Russia and Ukraine exchange drone attacksRussia attacked Ukraine overnight with 147 long-range drones, according to Ukraine’s air force, which said 123 of them were intercepted or jammed. In Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed and two others injured in overnight attacks that damaged a residential high-rise and several private homes, regional administration head Ivan Fedorov said. A Russian strike on the town of Balakliia in the Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded eight, according to Vitalii Karabanov, head of the city’s military administration. In the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian strikes damaged a kindergarten, residential buildings and infrastructure, injuring a woman and a 6-year-old boy, administration head Oleksandr Hanzha said. In the eastern Kharkiv region, regional council member Oleksandr Skoryk said Russian forces had destroyed every gas station along the highway between Kharkiv and Poltava, a route stretching about 150 kilometers (93 miles). The highway is an important supply route connecting Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a regional hub near the Russian border, with central Ukraine. Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said a drone briefly entered its airspace before crossing the river border into Ukraine, where explosions were later reported. Two F-16 fighter jets were deployed to monitor the airspace. The incident was the fourth such incursion into Romanian airspace in four days. Romania, a NATO member, said the three previous drones were shot down. In Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 276 Ukrainian drones overnight. Rostov regional Governor Yuri Slyusar said five people, including a child, were killed when a Ukrainian drone struck an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don. Ukraine’s military General Staff said its forces had struck an export terminal in Rostov-on-Don, setting it on fire. The Ukrainian military also said other strikes in the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region targeted a ground relay station used to control drones and a bridge over the Henichesk Strait used by Russia for military logistics. Russian fuel and supply depots were also targeted, it said. In Belgorod, a city in southwestern Russia near the Ukrainian border, a Ukrainian drone attack injured 12 people, including two children, according to regional emergency officials. Iran vows retaliation after Ukrainian strike on shipIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Ukraine had attacked an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, killing a sailor. In a statement on X Sunday, Araghchi condemned the attack as a “blatant U.N. Charter violation” carried out at Israel’s behest to draw Europe into its war. He said he had made clear in phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the attack “can’t go unanswered.” Zelenskyy said on X that Ukrainian long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea over the weekend achieved “very good results.” He said the targets included “vessels involved in transporting military cargo linked to Iran, as well as a warship.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected Iran’s threats of retaliation as unjustified and baseless, saying Tehran’s weapons supplies to Russia had made it a direct accomplice in Moscow’s aggression. “Iran has no standing to pretend to be a victim,” Sybiha posted on X, calling Tehran’s references to the UN Charter “absurd.” Sybiha said Iran’s statements were an attempt to divert attention from Russian attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, which he said would be discussed at an emergency UN Security Council meeting Monday.