United News of Bangladesh

A prolonged heat wave continued across California over the weekend, breaking daily high-temperature records at multiple locations, while hot and dry conditions and wildfire smoke added to health and fire risks across parts of the state, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) and state authorities. A preliminary report from the NWS San Diego office said eight daily high-temperature records were broken and one was tied on Oct. 3 across Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties. Santa Ana in Orange County reached 41.7 degrees Celsius, about 2.8 degrees above the previous record for Oct. 3 set in 2014, while Vista in San Diego County reached 42.2 degrees, according to the report. San Diego International Airport reached 40.6 degrees, breaking a daily record that had stood since 1987. The temperature was about 16.1 degrees above normal for the date, according to an NWS climate report. Farther north, Napa Airport reached 35.6 degrees, breaking its previous Oct. 3 record of 34.4 degrees, according to the NWS San Francisco Bay Area office. In northern Nevada, Winnemucca Airport reached 32.2 degrees, breaking its previous daily record set in 2024, according to the NWS Elko office. The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard office described the episode as a major and long-lasting heat wave and said unusually high temperatures were expected to persist through the coming week. More than 34 million Californians were under heat warnings or advisories. Extreme Heat Warnings remained in effect through Thursday evening in parts of Southern California, including San Diego and the coasts and valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and parts of Santa Barbara County. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) website listed several active incidents Sunday, including the Bouquet Fire in Los Angeles County, which had burned 1,048 acres and was 40 percent contained, and the Dome Fire in Mariposa County, which had burned 6,826 acres and was 40 percent contained. Across California, CAL FIRE reported 5,701 wildfires and 328,950 acres burned in 2026, with three fatalities and 157 structures destroyed. The figures are preliminary and subject to frequent updates. Smoke from active wildfires adds another health concern. Fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lungs and is particularly harmful to children, older adults and people with heart or lung conditions, according to California health authorities. AirNow forecasts showed air quality reaching levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups in several California communities on Sunday, with ozone identified as the main pollutant in a number of areas. Health officials advise residents to limit strenuous outdoor activity during periods of extreme heat or poor air quality, keep windows and doors closed when smoke is present, use air conditioning on recirculate and seek a cooler, cleaner-air location when necessary.

The OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing countries will keep its oil production unchanged in November for the second consecutive month, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said on Sunday. The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of OPEC+ members, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, to review global market conditions and the economic outlook. “The seven participating countries decided to maintain September 2026 required production for November 2026,” OPEC said in a statement. The seven countries had gradually increased oil production each month from April to September this year before suspending further increases in October. OPEC said the seven countries will meet again on Nov. 1 to assess market conditions and decide on their next steps.

Latvia’s pro-Ukraine Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ four-party coalition secured 35% of the vote in the parliamentary election, with lawmakers expected to begin negotiations on forming a new government on Sunday. A political crisis in May over the government’s handling of stray drones suspected to have come from Ukraine led to the collapse of the previous governing coalition, which had also faced disagreements over several other issues. Parliament, known as the Saeima, subsequently approved a new coalition led by Kulbergs of the centrist United List party, which had previously been in opposition. Latvia, along with its Baltic neighbours Lithuania and Estonia, strongly supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. The country shares borders with Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow. Saturday’s election took place as Latvia, a small country on NATO’s eastern flank, faces growing concerns over the possibility of Russian aggression. Election data showed voter turnout exceeded 51%. Nearly 1.56 million people in the country, which has a population of more than 1.8 million, were eligible to elect 100 members of the single-chamber parliament for a four-year term. The United List party is expected to secure 42 seats in parliament. However, the fragmented political landscape means the formation of a multiparty coalition will be necessary to govern. Political parties must secure at least 5% of the vote to win seats in parliament.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday the country is still ready to achieve a "just and honorable" solution through diplomacy, but it will give a "more crushing" response if the "enemies" once again resort to military actions. Araghchi also highlighted Iran's seriousness and decisiveness in both defending itself and advancing diplomacy at a meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran. He expressed hope that the United States would choose the path of wisdom and rationality. "There is no military solution, nor any solution based on further sanctions. Only a solution based on negotiation, justice, fairness, and diplomatic dignity can prove effective and provide a definitive resolution to end this war and the illegal and unjust aggression launched against Iran," he said. Iran has received and replied to the U.S. proposal in response to its proposed plan to end hostilities, while some additional points are yet to be communicated to the United States, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Iran conveyed a proposed seven-day plan on Sept. 22 to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to the United States through mediators on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has also imposed a naval blockade as well as new sanctions on Iran. A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts. Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the two sides failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday to reaffirm Germany’s support for Ukraine as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian cities. The air war has intensified, with Russia targeting cities across Ukraine with ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones that are difficult to intercept. Ukraine, meanwhile, has been attacking Russian oil facilities and businesses. Merz said his visit, his second to Ukraine since becoming chancellor, was aimed at demonstrating Germany’s continued support for the country. “If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” he said in a statement on Sunday, assuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Germany would continue to provide assistance. Merz also highlighted cooperation between the two countries, saying their partnership was not one-sided. He pointed to joint efforts by German and Ukrainian companies to develop technologies that benefit both sides. “This makes us safer and stronger,” he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said discussions would focus on strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities, resilience and shared European security. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Moscow would continue carrying out what it called “mass retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. It also urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Ukraine, repeating a warning issued in May. A Russian drone struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River again on Sunday morning. Videos circulating on social media showed the drone hitting the bridge and an explosion as vehicles crossed it. There was no immediate information about casualties. The latest attack followed Russian strikes earlier this week that forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges over the Dnipro River, disrupting traffic and causing long queues. Russia has also targeted apartment buildings, supermarket warehouses, gas stations and data centres in previous attacks. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four and a half years ago, but there are still no clear signs of a possible peace agreement. Fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line stretching across northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has remained largely deadlocked in recent months.

Search teams have found a debris field off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, from an air ambulance carrying six people that went missing over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday while flying from Bermuda to Boston, the US Coast Guard said. Four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals were aboard the aircraft. Their next of kin have been notified as search operations continue, the Coast Guard said in a statement. One of its cutters will remain in the area overnight and continue searching into Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed the Coast Guard that the Gulfstream G100 lost contact early Saturday morning, according to the statement. Air traffic control recordings suggest the aircraft may have been approaching the coast without proper visibility or navigation assistance as a storm moved into its path shortly before it disappeared. The pilot reported electrical problems and declared an emergency as the jet approached the Massachusetts coast, according to audio recordings posted on LiveATC.net. A controller was heard asking the pilot to confirm whether the aircraft was approaching “blind”. Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the US Department of Transportation and an aviation attorney, said the aircraft may have lost its navigational instruments as a storm moved across its path. Preliminary data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed that the plane descended sharply from its cruising altitude of around 24,000 feet to approximately 10,000 feet. Schiavo said the sudden loss of altitude, combined with the storm and possible instrument failure, could have left the crew disoriented. The Canadian-registered medical jet had four crew members and two passengers aboard when it departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda for the overnight flight to Massachusetts, the airport's operator, Skyport, said in a statement. Canadian Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said authorities were closely monitoring the situation and working with other agencies on search and rescue efforts. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the incident but did not immediately confirm whether it would launch an investigation.

A crash involving multiple vehicles on the highway to the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa on Saturday killed 17 people, most of them pilgrims on the way to a prayer site, officials said. The crash in the Salama area happened after midnight when a truck driver tried and failed to overtake another truck, police said. That caused a collision with vehicles including a van carrying pilgrims, police said. The van's driver and 16 passengers, most of them women, died at the scene, police said. The pilgrims were going to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. The archbishop said in a statement that he and others were “saddened with lots of grief” over the deaths. President William Ruto offered condolences to the families, friends, parishioners and the entire Catholic community "who are mourning this painful loss.” Road crashes are a problem across Africa. In Kenya and elsewhere in the region, the crashes often are blamed on poorly maintained vehicles, excess speed and poor road conditions. Kenya's National Transport and Safety Authority called upon all motorists to exercise extreme caution, avoid dangerous overtaking and strictly observe lane discipline. The government agency said that the stretch where the crash happened was a so-called black spot and that recommendations to address safety concerns had been made.

Five workers were killed after a mine collapsed in northern Afghanistan's Takhar province, local media said on Saturday. The incident occurred at a mining site in the Shah Mastan Valley of Chah Ab district, according to Naqibullah Masroor, head of press and public relations at the Takhar Police Command. Masroor said local authorities would release further details regarding the incident later. The report did not specify the exact time or date when the mine collapse took place. Takhar province, which borders Tajikistan, is rich in various mineral resources and has drawn numerous miners in recent years. Casualties from mining accidents are reported periodically in the region.

Around 325 million barrels of oil have been released from strategic reserves, said the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Saturday. It represented over 80 percent of the 400 million barrels originally pledged from the collective action announced by the IEA in March. According to an IEA press release, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said Friday during a virtual meeting of Group of Seven (G7) leaders that the energy market impacts of the Strait of Hormuz crisis remained acute, especially in diesel markets. He stressed the IEA's ongoing work to support energy security. The G7, in coordination with the IEA, will release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and other oil reserves over the next four months, according to a joint G7 leaders' statement released by the Elysee Palace on Friday. On March 11, the 32 members of the IEA unanimously agreed to make available to the market 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves, the largest such move in the IEA's history.

Five workers have been killed after a mine collapsed in northern Afghanistan's Takhar province, local media outlet TOLOnews reported on Saturday. Naqibullah Masroor, head of press and public relations at the Takhar Police Command, told TOLOnews that the incident occurred at a mine in the Shah Mastan Valley of Chah Ab district. Masroor said the local authorities would release further details about the incident later. The report did not say when the incident occurred. Bordering Tajikistan, Takhar province is rich in various mineral resources and has attracted many miners over recent years, with casualties from mining accidents reported from time to time.