United News of Bangladesh

Chinese authorities have detained an American scholar known for his research on Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy on suspicion of espionage, China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the scholar, Min Zin, is suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security.” The arrest is unusual, as China rarely detains US citizens on national security-related accusations. The development comes about a month after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing as both countries sought to improve strained bilateral ties. According to a Myanmar activist familiar with the matter, Min Zin went missing on June 3 after travelling to Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province to attend a conference. The activist, who requested anonymity due to concerns about possible repercussions, said Min Zin had visited China several times in the past. Min Zin was involved in Myanmar’s 1988 pro-democracy student movement, which was violently suppressed by the then military-backed government. He later received asylum in the United States. The activist said Min Zin is not currently involved in direct political activism. He is the founder of ISP Myanmar, a think tank that has published research on Chinese foreign policy and economic engagement with Myanmar, including studies on Myanmar’s rare earth exports to China. The organisation has also maintained regular exchanges with Chinese research institutions. Min Zin is currently pursuing a PhD at University of California, Berkeley.

South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defense minister were sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday in a case alleging Yoon ordered drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024 to heighten tensions with North Korea and justify declaring martial law at home. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon and his ex-defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, guilty of aiding an adversary and abusing their power, saying they sought to provoke North Korea into launching armed attacks or other serious provocations against South Korea to manufacture a national emergency. It said the moves harmed South Korea’s military interests by exposing its capabilities, undermining its ability to conduct future operations and prompting North Korea to strengthen its defense posture. The same court earlier sentenced Yoon to life in prison for a rebellion conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024. North Korea accused Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets three times in October 2024. Kim, who was South Korea’s defense minister at the time, issued a vague denial before the Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations. Tensions rose sharply but did not lead to any military clashes. Yoon’s lawyers criticized the latest ruling, saying the drone flights were a response to North Korea flying thousands of trash-carrying balloons into the South earlier in 2024. They argued that a guilty verdict would undermine South Korea's security interests but did not immediately say whether they would appeal. Investigators led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk had sought a 30-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of trying to create a warlike situation between the Koreas while plotting an authoritarian push to remove his political opponents and “monopolize” power. They had sought a 25-year prison term for Kim Yong Hyun, a key confidant of Yoon who helped plan and mobilize forces for Yoon’s martial law declaration. Yoon proceeded with the declaration late in the night of Dec. 3, 2024, delivering a televised address in which he accused liberal lawmakers of being North Korea-sympathizing “anti-state” forces. He cited a range of grievances, but particularly the opposition’s impeachments of senior officials and cuts to his government’s budget bill. Martial law lasted about six hours until lawmakers broke through a blockade of soldiers and police at the National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift the measure. Yoon was quickly suspended from office, impeached and formally removed by the Constitutional Court. He was arrested in July 2025 and several criminal trial are ongoing. The verdict in the most serious case, of rebellion, has been appealed both by Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought a death sentence.

Iran retaliated against U.S. air and cruise missile strikes as hostilities escalated Thursday with attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain in renewed fighting after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. The exchange came shortly after the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes overnight Thursday. Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The new assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war appeared to have stalled, with Iran insisting it would maintain its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Talks have also faltered because of Israel’s attacks against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other. In a first exchange of missile fire from Iran and airstrikes by the U.S. on Wednesday, Iranian missiles were launched at missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Those came in the wake of American strikes in reprisal for the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter in the strait. The U.S. Central Command said it completed its latest round of airstrikes just before the sun rose Thursday in Iran. It said the strikes targeted military surveillance, communications and air defense sites and were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy. It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes. Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as in the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the strait. Iran’s says US attacks have rendered ceasefire meaningless Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Thursday saying the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

The mayor of a southern Philippine municipality severely affected by a powerful earthquake has appealed for the immediate deployment of helicopters to deliver food and relief supplies to villages cut off by landslides. The 7.8-magnitude offshore earthquake struck Monday near the southern province of Sarangani, making it one of the strongest tremors to hit the Philippines in the last 50 years. The disaster has claimed at least 47 lives, injured 688 people and left 31 others missing. More than 45,000 residents remained displaced as of Thursday, with roughly half taking shelter in evacuation centers. Authorities said over 12,600 homes were damaged across several farming towns and urban areas, while ongoing aftershocks have discouraged many families from returning home. Sarangani recorded the highest death toll among affected areas, with 20 fatalities. Most of the deaths were linked to a landslide that buried homes in the coastal town of Glan, according to the Office of Civil Defense. Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said electricity has yet to be restored, and 10 of the town’s 31 villages remain largely inaccessible because of landslides. He urged the national government to dispatch military helicopters to transport food, drinking water and emergency supplies to isolated residents. According to Yap, relief efforts are being hampered by damaged roads and blocked routes, leaving some communities without adequate access to basic necessities. He warned that food shortages were becoming critical in several villages. Although a major road leading to the town has been reopened, allowing fuel deliveries to resume, power outages persist and mobile phone services remain unreliable in many areas. The Office of Civil Defense said the government has distributed more than 26 million pesos (about $426,000) worth of food packs, cash assistance and other relief items. It added that 180 aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks have been mobilized to support rescue and recovery operations. Around 3,400 government workers and military personnel are engaged in search-and-rescue missions, road-clearing efforts, damage assessments and other emergency response activities. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited General Santos City on Wednesday to inspect damaged schools and hospitals and review recovery measures. He approved the release of 100 million pesos (about $1.6 million) for repairs to the partially damaged city hall and ordered financial assistance of 50,000 pesos ($820) for each family that lost a loved one in the disaster. Most fatalities were caused by collapsing structures and landslides in Sarangani, General Santos City, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental. The earthquake also triggered hazardous sea conditions. Two swimmers drowned and another remains missing after being swept away by strong waves off General Santos shortly after the tremor. Waves reaching up to 1.4 meters above normal tide levels were recorded in southern Philippines, while smaller waves reached parts of Indonesia, Palau and southern Japan. The quake ranks among the strongest to strike the Philippines since the devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami of August 1976, which killed an estimated 8,000 people. Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its position on a major zone of tectonic movement.

The United States and Iran exchanged attacks for a second straight day, raising fears of a renewed full-scale conflict across the Middle East. The latest U.S. strikes, which continued into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared broader and more intense than the previous day's operation. Iranian authorities, however, provided few details regarding the extent of the damage. Meanwhile, an Indian official reported that a U.S. strike on an oil tanker accused of breaching Washington's blockade of Iranian ports killed three Indian sailors, highlighting the growing risks faced by maritime workers in the region. The latest hostilities marked the third major exchange of fire in the region this week. The violence began with clashes between Iran and Israel and was followed by two rounds of attacks between Washington and Tehran, affecting several countries that host U.S. military facilities. The escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain deadlocked. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iran would "pay the price" if negotiations continued to stall. In response, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that recent U.S. attacks had "effectively rendered the ceasefire meaningless," though it stopped short of announcing a formal withdrawal from the agreement. A key issue in the negotiations remains Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route whose disruption has affected global energy markets, increased fuel costs and contributed to rising prices for essential goods worldwide. Iran announced on Thursday that the strait had been closed, although the practical implications remained uncertain. Maritime traffic has already been severely restricted since the outbreak of the conflict, with only limited shipping activity continuing through the waterway. U.S. Central Command rejected Tehran's claim, while Trump stated that the U.S. had been conducting a covert operation in recent weeks to move vessels safely through the strategic passage. Another major sticking point remains Iran's nuclear programme. Tehran maintains that its nuclear activities are intended solely for peaceful purposes, while the United States and Israel argue that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium could potentially be used to develop nuclear weapons. Both Washington and Tel Aviv have cited this concern as a primary reason for launching military operations against Iran on Feb. 28.

Amnesty International accused Israel on Wednesday of carrying out a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank with the intention to annex the Palestinian territory. The accusation came in a new, 149-page report alleging that the forced displacement of West Bank Palestinians resulted from a concerted state policy, and not just the actions of violent settlers. While much of the displacement is driven by settlers who build outposts on Palestinian land, the report asserts that the process could not occur without the support of the government. U.N. data says that over 100 West Bank villages have been fully or partially emptied out between January 2023 and April 2026. At the same time, the United Nations has tracked more than 7,280 instances of individual Palestinian displacement because of demolition of homes and structures by Israeli forces, a figure that includes people who were displaced more than once. Israel has in the past denounced such accusations — including allegations of ethnic cleansing — as reflecting longtime unfair bias. It did not immediately respond to the report. “These abuses are not the result of a few ‘bad apples.’ Settler violence is a core component of a state-sanctioned campaign of ethnic cleansing,” said Agnès Callamard, the head of Amnesty. “What we are witnessing is deliberate, state-led annexation, in complete violation of international law unfolding before the eyes of the entire world.” Israeli leaders have condemned particularly grave violence by Jewish settlers but tend to denounce them as exceptions. Key Cabinet ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government are pushing for a formal annexation of the territory, and officials have voiced support for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. Amnesty says it has identified dozens of bills in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to extend Israeli civil law and jurisdiction over settlement blocs, as well as over courts that try Palestinians. Recently, the parliament approved a measure making the death penalty the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group that aimed to stop the war in Gaza also acknowledged Palestinian aspirations for statehood. Amnesty says the large-scale displacement of Palestinian Bedouin communities in the territory is caused by settler violence, advancement of new settlements and the Israeli takeover of large swaths of unregistered land. Rights groups have raised the alarm about this form of displacement before 2023, but say it dramatically intensified after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that year that triggered the war. Rights groups say Bedouin herding communities in remote areas of the West Bank are most vulnerable to displacement. Unlike Palestinians in cities and towns across the West Bank, the villagers are less able to withstand the pressure from often-armed settlers as they establish new outposts around Palestinian villages. The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now says that 212 of at least 363 existing outposts in the West Bank were created since 2023. The outposts are built without permission from Israeli authorities, who sometimes dismantle them but other times turn a blind eye or even legalize them retroactively. The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Israel, meanwhile, views the West Bank as disputed territory and says its final status is subject to negotiations. Amnesty said its report looked into 27 hamlets and villages in the West Bank where Palestinians were displaced between 2023 and 2025. Researchers interviewed dozens of Palestinians and lawyers, spoke with witnesses of settler violence, watched over 420 videos and analyzed government statements and other reports. The group also said the international community has failed to act to stop the displacement. More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for their independent state, along with the Gaza Strip.

Hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan came under Iranian fire, US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Iran was taking “too long to negotiate a deal” and that “now they will have to pay the price.” It wasn’t clear what exactly that would mean, but the back-and-forth strikes Wednesday again raised the question of how much pressure the deal can take before it cracks. The exchange of fire was the second time this week that such strikes have tested the ceasefire after Iran and Israel targeted each other on Monday.  

Ukraine launched a series of long-distance attacks on military and energy facilities deep inside Russia on Wednesday, aiming to increase pressure on Moscow by targeting key industrial and energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck several sites, including a military factory that he claimed produces components for Russian drones and missiles. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo long-range missiles hit a facility in Cheboksary in Russia’s Chuvashiya region, more than 900 kilometres from the front line. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 326 Ukrainian drones overnight. Oleg Nikolayev, head of Chuvashiya, confirmed the attack but did not share details. However, the Astra news outlet reported that the strike hit the VNIIR-Progress plant, which manufactures drone antennas. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces targeted a refinery in Russia’s Samara region. Regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said several industrial sites were damaged in drone strikes and three people were injured, though he did not specify which facilities were hit. Astra published images showing a large fire at the refinery. He added that Ukraine’s security service (SBU) also struck two oil infrastructure sites in Russia’s Vladimir region, around 700 kilometres from the front line. In Russian-occupied Crimea, a Ukrainian drone hit a building housing a large historical panorama painting depicting the 19th-century Crimean War defence of Sevastopol. Kremlin-appointed official Mikhail Razvozhayev said the artwork by Franz Roubaud was effectively destroyed. With the front line largely static after more than four years of war, both sides have increasingly relied on long-range drone and missile strikes. Ukrainian officials say these deeper strikes are intended to disrupt Russia’s military supply chain and energy sector, while also challenging President Vladimir Putin’s claims of progress in the war. Russia, meanwhile, said it downed 181 of 207 Ukrainian drones in separate attacks. Ukrainian officials reported renewed Russian strikes across several regions, including Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, leaving multiple civilians injured and several dead or wounded.

Taiwan’s military on Wednesday launched rockets in the direction of China using US-supplied mobile launchers in a drill designed to simulate how the island would respond to a potential Chinese attack. The exercise featured the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which was fired for the first time into waters of the Taiwan Strait, the narrow waterway separating Taiwan from mainland China. The system had been tested previously, but not in this specific live-fire setting. A military official said the drills reflect Taiwan’s determination to strengthen its defence capabilities amid rising tensions. “Due to the current enemy threat, we will continue HIMARS training with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation’s strongest force,” said army Sergeant Wang Ming-hui. The military said it used reduced-range training rockets that fell into the sea shortly after launch. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, regularly sends military aircraft and naval vessels near the island and has stepped up large-scale drills in recent years. The United States does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but opposes any attempt to change its status by force and remains its key arms supplier. HIMARS, a truck-mounted mobile rocket system, is designed for rapid deployment, allowing forces to fire from hidden positions and quickly relocate, a tactic known as “shoot-and-scoot.” The system was the centrepiece of the second day of Taiwan’s west coast exercises, which also included 155mm howitzers. The drills simulated a response to a possible Chinese invasion and focused on speed, precision and mobility. During the exercise, the HIMARS units moved into position after receiving firing orders and launched rockets within minutes, demonstrating rapid strike capability. In December, the United States announced plans to sell 82 additional HIMARS units to Taiwan as part of a major arms deal. However, the package has reportedly been put on hold following recent diplomatic talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

South African police have launched a manhunt for more than 10 suspects following a deadly shooting at an informal settlement near Johannesburg that left 12 people dead and nine others injured. According to police, a group of armed assailants arrived at the settlement shortly after 11 pm on Tuesday and opened fire on residents at multiple locations before fleeing in a vehicle. Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said 11 victims—eight men and three women—were pronounced dead at the scene, while another victim later succumbed to injuries in hospital. The attackers reportedly entered the settlement through separate access points and carried out the shooting across different parts of the community. The incident took place at the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, located about six kilometres east of central Johannesburg. Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the attack and are continuing investigations. South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of violent crime. The country records more than 60 murders on average each day, with gun violence frequently linked to gang-related activities, criminal disputes and competition among informal businesses. Source: AL Jazeera