United News of Bangladesh

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is under growing scrutiny following revelations about Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the country’s ambassador to the US, after emails emerged showing Mandelson’s ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Government ministers are preparing to release their electronic communications with Mandelson, which include messages exchanged with officials and special advisers during his tenure. The total number of documents could approach 100,000, BBC sources said, and the full disclosure may take several months. The controversy has prompted calls from several Labour MPs for Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, to resign. MP Neil Duncan-Jordan called for “a clear out of No 10” to restore public confidence. Starmer has publicly apologised to Epstein’s victims for having believed Mandelson’s statements during the vetting process in 2024, describing Mandelson as having misrepresented his relationship with Epstein. Opposition parties, including the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, have questioned the vetting of other Labour peers, highlighting the December appointment of Matthew Doyle to the House of Lords despite his past links to a convicted child offender. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged Starmer to publish all vetting advice related to Doyle and apologise for what she called “another profound error of judgement.” Labour MPs remain divided over Starmer’s future. Some have called for his resignation, while others believe the anger is primarily directed at Mandelson. Former deputy leader Baroness Harriet Harman described the PM as “weak and naive” for relying on Mandelson’s assurances. Starmer’s advisers have defended the government’s handling of the situation, with Home Office minister Mike Tapp praising the PM for “owning mistakes” and prioritising transparency. Meanwhile, a motion calling for an independent inquiry into the links between British public figures and Epstein has been supported by 35 MPs from six parties. Potential successors to Starmer, according to Labour sources, include Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting. However, concerns over their own political vulnerabilities could complicate any leadership change. The release of Mandelson-related documents and upcoming local elections are expected to intensify scrutiny of Starmer’s leadership, with MPs closely monitoring public sentiment and potential political fallout.   With inputs from BBC

A high-ranking Russian military official, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot multiple times and hospitalized in Moscow on Friday, authorities said. His current condition has not been disclosed. Alexeyev, the number two official in Russia's GRU military intelligence, was attacked outside a residential building on Volokolamsk Highway in the northwestern part of the capital. The Russian Investigations Committee opened a criminal case for attempted murder, while investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses to identify the assailant, who fled the scene. Eyewitnesses described hearing several gunshots before the explosion of a suicide vest. One neighbour told Reuters that she was awakened by gunfire and heard a neighbour calling for help. Other residents assisted victims and alerted authorities. The general has played a prominent role in the war in Ukraine, including participating in negotiations during the siege of Mariupol in 2022 and mediating with Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during the 2023 mutiny. His superior at the GRU, Igor Kostyukov, leads Russia's security talks with the United States and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incident, adding, “We hope the general survives and recovers.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of involvement, although Kyiv has not commented on the attack. The incident follows a series of attacks on high-ranking Russian military officials in Moscow in recent years, including the killings of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov in 2024 and Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov in December 2025. Alexeyev had previously been sanctioned by the EU and the UK over the GRU’s alleged role in the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack in the UK. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine the circumstances of the shooting and identify the perpetrator.   With inputs from BBC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that about 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, as US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv continued with what Washington described as constructive engagement. In an interview broadcast late Wednesday by French television channel France 2, Zelenskyy said the fighting has also left a large number of people missing. The figure marks an increase from his previous disclosure in early 2025, when he said 46,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed on the battlefield. The war, now in its fourth year, has turned into a prolonged struggle of attrition along a roughly 1,000-kilometre front line stretching across eastern and southern Ukraine. Russian forces have sought to use their numerical advantage, while both sides continue to strike targets deep behind the front lines with long-range drones and missiles. Zelenskyy’s estimate is significantly lower than figures published last month by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, which put Ukrainian military deaths at up to 140,000 by the end of last year. The same report estimated Russian troop deaths at as many as 325,000. Neither Ukraine nor Russia regularly releases detailed or up-to-date information on military casualties. Russia’s Defense Ministry last issued an official death toll in September 2022, when it said fewer than 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed. The civilian toll has also continued to rise. Human Rights Watch said in a report released Wednesday that Ukrainian civilian casualties increased by 31 percent last year compared with 2024. According to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, nearly 15,000 civilians have been killed and more than 40,000 injured since the war began, up to last December. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict moved forward slowly. Ukrainian and Russian delegations held a second day of US-brokered talks on Thursday. US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the discussions as detailed and productive, saying the two sides agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, their first such swap in five months. However, the talks in Abu Dhabi produced no major breakthrough. Witkoff said sustained diplomacy was yielding tangible results and helping advance efforts to end the war. Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council chief Rustem Umerov said Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the talks, as they did during negotiations last month. Zelenskyy has previously described the future control of the Donbas industrial region as a central issue in any settlement. NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, was also present at the meeting, according to a spokesperson speaking on condition of anonymity. On the ground, hostilities continued. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for an official visit. In the Ukrainian capital, two people were injured overnight in Russian drone attacks, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. In the surrounding Kyiv region, authorities reported that a man suffered a chest wound from shrapnel. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 183 drones and two ballistic missiles overnight. Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed its air defenses shot down 95 Ukrainian drones over several regions, the Azov Sea and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday apologised to victims of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after acknowledging that he appointed Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the United States despite Mandelson’s close ties to Epstein. Starmer said Mandelson had downplayed his relationship with Epstein, presenting him as someone he barely knew. Speaking publicly, the prime minister said he was sorry for having accepted those assurances and for making the appointment on that basis. Mandelson was dismissed from the ambassadorial post in September after emails emerged showing that he had maintained contact with Epstein even after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offences involving a minor. Epstein later died in a US jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. Starmer said he had never met Epstein and is not accused of any wrongdoing, but he has faced mounting pressure since new documents shed further light on Mandelson’s relationship with the financier. He said he had been misled about the nature of those ties. While it had long been publicly known that Mandelson and Epstein were acquainted, Starmer said the extent and seriousness of their relationship were not previously understood. British police are now investigating Mandelson over possible misconduct in public office, though he has not been accused of any sexual offences. Recently released documents by the US Department of Justice include material suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein following the 2008 global financial crisis. The files also contain numerous informal and friendly messages indicating a far closer relationship than Mandelson had earlier acknowledged. The documents further suggest that between 2003 and 2004, Epstein made three payments totalling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or to his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, who is now his husband. Mandelson, 72, has been a prominent and controversial figure in the Labour Party since the 1990s. He previously resigned twice from senior government roles amid controversies related to money and ethics. He was selected as ambassador to Washington due to his experience in trade, extensive international contacts and reputation as a skilled political operator, qualities seen as useful in dealing with the administration of President Donald Trump. However, critics argue that Mandelson’s links to Epstein made the appointment a serious misjudgment. Labour lawmaker Paula Barker said the episode raised concerns about the prime minister’s judgement and warned that rebuilding trust with the public and within the party would take significant effort.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has accused Lord Peter Mandelson of repeatedly lying about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and expressed regret over appointing him as the UK’s ambassador to the United States in 2024. Starmer told Parliament that Mandelson “betrayed our country” and concealed the full extent of his links with Epstein, adding that the vetting process had flagged Mandelson’s ongoing association with the financier. The prime minister said he will release all material relating to Mandelson’s appointment, except for highly sensitive documents involving national security or international relations. The controversy escalated after emails emerged showing Mandelson exchanging messages with Epstein on the day of the latter’s release from prison in 2009, including discussions about strippers and personal jokes. Mandelson has not responded publicly, but sources indicate he maintains he did not act criminally or for financial gain. Labour MPs expressed outrage over the limited disclosure plan, with Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and others demanding a parliamentary committee have a role in deciding which documents are released. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of attempting to “sabotage” the disclosure, while Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart pressed for transparency regarding the due diligence process. Meanwhile, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has launched an “investigatory audit” into Scottish government dealings with Mandelson, including his hosting of Swinney at his Washington residence during a trip to lobby US officials on whisky tariffs. Swinney described Starmer’s judgment in appointing Mandelson as “completely flawed” and “disastrous.” The debate has also raised questions about national security and potential leaks. Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey asked whether sensitive information may have been passed to Russian agents, citing ongoing investigations by Polish authorities into Epstein’s alleged links with Moscow. Starmer emphasized that the government will fully cooperate with criminal investigations. The episode has intensified scrutiny of Starmer’s decision-making and promises to affect parliamentary debates and public perception as the process of document disclosure begins.   With inputs from BBC

Greek coast guard vessels and a helicopter continued searching for potential missing people off an eastern Aegean island Wednesday following a deadly overnight collision between a patrol boat and a speedboat carrying migrants that left at least 15 dead. Twenty-four migrants, including 11 children, were injured and hospitalized on the island of Chios, authorities said. Two coast guard officers were also injured, with one remaining hospitalized Wednesday. The bodies of 11 men and three women were recovered from the sea shortly after the collision, and one woman later died in the hospital, officials added. The total number of people on the speedboat remains unknown. Four patrol boats, two helicopters, and divers launched the search overnight, which continued Wednesday morning with a helicopter and five patrol vessels. According to a coast guard statement, a patrol boat encountered the speedboat late Tuesday night near Chios, which was traveling without navigation lights. Despite sound and visual signals to stop, the speedboat reportedly changed course, collided with the patrol boat, and capsized. Photos released by the coast guard showed abrasion marks on the right side of the patrol boat. The account could not be independently verified. Michalis Giannakos, head of Greece’s public hospital workers’ union, said hospital staff in Chios were put on alert overnight to handle the sudden influx of injured and dead. Several of the injured required surgery, he said. Greece remains a major entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Fatal accidents are common, as migrants often attempt the short but perilous crossing from Turkey to nearby Greek islands in overcrowded dinghies or high-speed boats operated by smugglers. Increased patrols and allegations of pushbacks by Greek authorities have reduced such attempts. The European Union has tightened migration regulations in recent years, including streamlining deportations and increasing detentions. Migration has been a contentious issue across EU member states, fueling the rise of far-right parties and hardened asylum policies, with the number of asylum-seekers now well below record levels.

Russia carried out a massive overnight assault on Ukraine, firing around 450 long-range drones and 70 missiles of different types, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday. The attack targeted at least five regions, focusing on Ukraine’s power grid, as part of Moscow’s ongoing effort to deprive civilians of electricity, heating, and running water during the coldest winter in years. At least 10 people were reported wounded. “Russia values terrorizing civilians during the coldest days of winter more than diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. Temperatures in Kyiv fell to minus 20 degrees Celsius overnight and remained at minus 16 C on Tuesday. He urged allies to increase air defense support and maintain “maximum pressure” on Russia to end its full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. The attack came a day before Russia and Ukraine were scheduled to attend U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, aimed at ending the war. Officials described recent discussions between the two sides as constructive, but key issues such as the status of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories remain unresolved. US, India strike trade deal after Trump–Modi call NATO support During a visit to Kyiv, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte addressed the Ukrainian parliament, pledging rapid and consistent support as peace efforts continue. “Be assured that NATO stands with Ukraine and is ready to do so for years to come. Your security is our security. Your peace is our peace,” he said. NATO members have supplied 75% of all missiles delivered to Ukraine since last summer, including 90% of those used for air defense. Power grid and civilian impacts Despite a Kremlin pledge last week to halt strikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1 at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia continued aerial attacks. The overnight assault damaged Ukraine’s power infrastructure, including thermal power plants operated by the private company DTEK, marking the ninth major strike since October. In Kyiv, five people were wounded, and residential buildings, a kindergarten, and a gas station were damaged or set on fire. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that 1,170 apartment buildings were left without heating, hindering ongoing repair work. Other affected areas included northeastern Kharkiv and southern Odesa. Trump claims Russia will spare Kyiv during freezing winter spell The attacks also hit the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, near the Motherland Monument. Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna condemned the strike as both symbolic and cynical, saying, “The aggressor state strikes a place of memory about the fight against aggression in the 20th century, repeating crimes in the 21st.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Monday said he agreed with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s admission that she had shown “poor judgement” in maintaining contact with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as newly released US court files revealed extensive past communications between them. The acknowledgement came after documents released by the US Department of Justice showed the crown princess appeared hundreds of times in Epstein-related records between 2011 and 2014, triggering fresh scrutiny of Norway’s royal family. In a statement issued earlier, Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she regretted having any contact with Epstein, calling it “simply embarrassing”, and expressed deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of abuse linked to him. Støre’s public agreement with the princess’s admission is seen as unusual, as Norwegian prime ministers rarely comment critically on members of the royal family. He also said former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland had exercised “poor judgement” after it emerged that Jagland once planned, but later cancelled, a family holiday on Epstein’s private island. The revelations have surfaced at a sensitive time for the monarchy, just ahead of a seven-week trial of the crown princess’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, who faces 38 charges including rape and sexual assault. Høiby, 29, who is not a member of the royal family, denies the most serious allegations. If convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. According to the newly disclosed files, Crown Princess Mette-Marit spent several days at Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach in January 2013, and email exchanges suggested a warm tone in their correspondence, including references indicating awareness of his earlier conviction in 2008. Norwegian commentators have expressed shock at the nature of the communications, raising questions about how the risks of maintaining contact with Epstein were assessed and the role of royal advisers at the time. The royal family has faced a series of controversies in recent years, adding to public unease. No member of the family is expected to attend the upcoming trial in Oslo district court, which begins on Tuesday. Crown Prince Haakon said last week that the family’s thoughts were with everyone affected by the case, adding that while his stepson is not a royal, he remains an important part of their family.   With inputs from BBC

Veteran British politician Lord Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour Party, saying he does not want to further embarrass the party following renewed controversy over his past links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a letter to Labour’s general secretary, Mandelson said he was “regretful and sorry” after being named in newly released documents by the US Department of Justice. The files, made public on Friday, appear to reference three payments of $25,000 each allegedly connected to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said allegations that Epstein made financial payments to him around two decades ago were false, adding that he has no record or recollection of receiving such money. He said he would look into the matter but decided to step down from party membership in the meantime to avoid causing further damage to Labour. In his letter, Mandelson again apologised to the women and girls abused by Epstein, saying their voices should have been heard much earlier. He said his resignation was taken in what he believed to be the Labour Party’s best interests, stressing his long-standing commitment to its values. Earlier, Mandelson said he could not confirm the authenticity of the newly released documents but repeated his regret for having known Epstein and for maintaining contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. He offered an “unequivocal” apology to the victims. Labour MP Gordon McKee said Epstein’s victims would be “rightly outraged” by the latest revelations and said Mandelson had taken the correct step by resigning. The Conservative Party criticised Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, saying Mandelson should have been expelled rather than allowed to resign, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for his suspension and a formal investigation. Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the government had not been aware of the alleged financial links when questioned by the media. Mandelson, a prominent Labour strategist and former cabinet minister, was appointed UK ambassador to the United States in December 2024 but was removed from the post less than a year later following earlier disclosures about his association with Epstein. He has remained on leave from the House of Lords since his ambassadorial appointment. The newly released files include bank records, first reported by the Financial Times, that appear to show three payments referencing Mandelson. One payment in May 2003 was sent to a Barclays account linked to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, identified as Mandelson’s partner at the time, while two further payments were made to HSBC accounts in June 2004. It is unclear whether the funds were ultimately received. The documents also include redacted images showing Mandelson standing next to a woman, as well as emails indicating he remained in contact with Epstein after his conviction. Mandelson has said he cannot recall the circumstances of the photograph and stressed that being named or pictured in the files does not imply wrongdoing. Epstein was convicted in 2008 in the United States on charges including soliciting underage girls and later died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The latest disclosures form part of the largest release so far of Epstein-related records under a US law mandating their publication.   With inputs from BBC

Russian forces have captured the village of Toretsk in Donetsk and Petrovka in Zaporizhzhia, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday. In a statement, the ministry said the Russian army also targeted Ukrainian transport infrastructure, ammunition depots, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries at 138 locations. Russian air defense reportedly shot down four guided aerial bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS rocket, and 47 fixed-wing drones in the past 24 hours.