United News of Bangladesh

Thailand carried out airstrikes along its contested border with Cambodia on Monday, as both nations accused each other of violating the ceasefire that ended deadly clashes earlier this year. Border tensions erupted into five days of violence in July, leaving dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire in October, but mistrust between the neighbors has remained high. Thailand’s defense ministry said more than 35,000 residents near the frontier have moved to shelters or to stay with relatives farther away. Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said several border villages have also been evacuated. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised address that Thailand would take whatever military action is needed to safeguard its territory and protect civilians. “Thailand has never sought conflict. We have never started a fight or invaded anyone, but we will not accept violations of our sovereignty,” he said. New clashes followed Sunday’s exchange of fire The October ceasefire had already been under strain since early November, when land mines injured Thai soldiers. Bangkok then suspended implementation of the truce, with both sides blaming each other even as they were meant to jointly remove the mines. Trump said in mid-November that he had stepped in to help keep the ceasefire intact. A brief firefight erupted on Sunday, with each country claiming the other fired first. Thailand reported two soldiers wounded and said it returned fire for about 20 minutes, while Cambodia insisted Thai troops initiated the clash and that its forces held back. On Monday, Thai military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian forces opened fire across several areas of the border, killing one Thai soldier and injuring four others. Civilians were being moved from the conflict zone, he added. He confirmed that Thai aircraft struck “military targets in multiple locations to suppress Cambodian supporting fire.” Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata countered that Thailand launched Monday’s attack and claimed Cambodian troops did not respond initially. “Cambodia calls on Thailand to immediately cease all hostile actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” she said. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged both sides to show restraint, saying his country is prepared to support efforts to prevent further escalation. “Our region cannot allow old disputes to spiral into confrontation,” he said. Longstanding historical rifts fuel dispute Thailand and Cambodia’s rivalry stretches back centuries to their eras as competing empires. Current territorial claims largely relate to a 1907 map drafted during Cambodia’s French colonial period — a document Thailand disputes. In 1962, the International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty over territory including the Preah Vihear temple, a ruling still resented by many in Thailand. The existing ceasefire does not address the root cause of the conflict — longstanding disagreements over the precise border line.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel and Hamas are “very close” to entering the second phase of the ceasefire, which will begin once Hamas returns the remains of the final hostage still held in Gaza. Speaking at a press conference alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Netanyahu said the next phase — involving Hamas’ disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza — could start by the end of the month. Hamas has not yet handed over the body of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. His remains were taken to Gaza. The second phase also calls for deploying an international security force in Gaza and forming an interim Palestinian administration overseen by an international committee led by U.S. President Donald Trump. A senior Hamas figure told The Associated Press the group is willing to discuss “freezing, storing, or laying down” its weapons as part of the ceasefire, signaling possible progress on one of the toughest issues. Netanyahu: Next stages will be difficult Netanyahu noted that many doubted the first phase could be completed, and he expects similar challenges ahead. He added that a third phase — “deradicalizing Gaza” — is also essential, saying it has been achieved in places like Germany, Japan, and the Gulf States and could be done in Gaza as well, but only if Hamas is dismantled. Returning Gvili’s remains — in exchange for Israel handing over 15 Palestinian bodies — would finalize the first stage of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan. Hamas says locating all remains is difficult due to destruction from Israel’s two-year offensive, while Israel accuses Hamas of delaying and has threatened to resume operations or restrict aid if the returns are not completed. Hostage families reiterated that the next phase cannot begin without Gvili’s body being returned. Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir described the Yellow Line — separating Israeli-held Gaza areas from the rest of the territory — as a “new border,” saying Israeli forces will remain along the line as a forward defensive position. Germany reaffirms backing for Israel Merz said Germany is helping implement the second phase by sending personnel to a U.S.-led coordination center in southern Israel and providing humanitarian supplies to Gaza. He reaffirmed Germany’s support for a two-state solution but said Berlin maintains that Palestinian statehood can only be recognized at the end of negotiations. Netanyahu said he has not scheduled a visit to Germany due to concerns about an International Criminal Court arrest warrant related to the Gaza war. Merz said no visit is currently planned but may be considered in the future. He also said he is unaware of any impending EU sanctions on Israel or renewed German restrictions on arms exports. Germany previously paused defense exports to Israel, but the suspension was lifted after the Oct. 10 ceasefire. Israel kills militant near Yellow Line Israel’s military reported killing a militant who approached its forces near the Yellow Line. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 370 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire began, including six people whose bodies reached hospitals in the past day. The Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages. Nearly all captives or their remains have since been released through ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 70,360 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which does not separate civilians from combatants but reports that nearly half the victims were women and children. The ministry’s figures are considered credible by the U.N. and international organizations.

Somalia's Ministry of Health and Human Services on Sunday confirmed that a new diphtheria outbreak has killed 50 children and infected about 1,000 others nationwide. In a statement, the ministry said children aged 5 to 15 have been the most affected. Responding to this "dangerous situation," the ministry has launched vaccine campaigns to control the disease, it said, adding that vaccination will begin on Dec. 15 and run for five days. "All children, wherever they are, in villages, health facilities, and schools will be vaccinated", the ministry said, urging parents to bring their children to the designated sites to help contain what it described as a "killer disease." The warning comes amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, compounded by persistent conflict and climate shocks, including floods and droughts.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel and Hamas are “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire,” after Hamas returns the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza. Netanyahu spoke during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and stressed that the second phase, which addresses the disarming of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, could begin as soon as the end of the month. Hamas has yet to hand over the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer who was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. His body was taken to Gaza. The ceasefire's second stage also includes the deployment of an international force to secure Gaza and forming a temporary Palestinian government to run day-to-day affairs under the supervision of an international board led by U.S. President Donald Trump. A senior Hamas official on Sunday told The Associated Press the group is ready to discuss “freezing or storing or laying down” its weapons as part of the ceasefire in a possible approach to one of the most difficult issues ahead. Netanyahu says second phase will be challenging Netanyahu said few people believed the ceasefire’s first stage could be achieved, and the second phase is just as challenging. “As I mentioned to the chancellor, there’s a third phase, and that is to deradicalize Gaza, something that also people believed was impossible. But it was done in Germany, it was done in Japan, it was done in the Gulf States. It can be done in Gaza, too, but of course Hamas has to be dismantled,” he said. The return of Gvili’s remains — and Israel's return of 15 bodies of Palestinians in exchange — would complete the first phase of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of stalling and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned. A group of families of hostages said in a statement that “we cannot advance to the next phase before Ran Gvili returns home.” Meanwhile, Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday called the so-called Yellow Line that divides the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza from the rest of the territory a “new border.” “We have operational control over extensive parts of the Gaza Strip and we will remain on those defense lines," Zamir said. "The Yellow Line is a new border line, serving as a forward defensive line for our communities and a line of operational activity." Germany says support for Israel is unchanged Merz said Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies, is assisting with the implementation of the second phase by sending officers and diplomats to a U.S.-led civilian and military coordination center in southern Israel, and by sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. The chancellor also said Germany still believes that a two-state-solution is the best possible option but that “the German federal government remains of the opinion that recognition of a Palestinian state can only come at the end of such a process, not at the beginning.” The U.S.-drafted plan for Gaza leaves the door open to Palestinian independence. Netanyahu has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders. Netanyahu also said that while he would like to visit Germany, he hasn’t planned a diplomatic trip because he is concerned about an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the U.N.'s top war crimes court, last year in connection with the war in Gaza. Merz said there are currently no plans for a visit but he may invite Netanyahu in the future. He added that he is not aware of future sanctions against Israel from the European Union nor any plans to renew German bans on military exports to Israel. Germany had a temporary ban on exporting military equipment to Israel, which was lifted after the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. Israel kills militant in Gaza The Israeli military said it killed a militant who approached its troops across the Yellow Line. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than 370 Palestinians since the start of the ceasefire, and that the bodies of six people killed in attacks had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. In the original Hamas-led attack in 2023, the militants killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 others hostage. Almost all the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 70,360 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says that nearly half the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas government and its numbers are considered reliable by the U.N. and other international bodies.

Nobel week was underway in Stockholm and Oslo with laureates holding news conferences and lectures before they will be awarded the prestigious prizes. Hungarian László Krasznahorkai, who won the Prize in literature for his surreal and anarchic novels that combine a bleak world view with mordant humor, was expected to give a lecture in Stockholm on Sunday in one of his rare public appearances. When the Nobel judges announced the award in October, they described the 71-year-old as “a great epic writer” whose work “is characterized by absurdism and grotesque excess.” “Krasznahorkai’s work can be seen as part of a Central European tradition," the Nobel Prize organization said. ”Important features are pessimism and apocalypse, but also humor and unpredictability." Last year’s winner was South Korean author Han Kang. The 2023 winner was Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, whose work includes a seven-book epic made up of a single sentence. Meanwhile, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Kristian Harpviken, said Saturday that Venezuelan Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader María Corina Machado will come to Oslo this week to receive her award in person. The 58-year-old, who won for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, has been hiding and has not been seen in public since January. Harpviken told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that Machado was expected to personally pick up the prize on Wednesday. “I spoke with the Peace Prize winner last night, and she will come to Oslo,” Harpviken said, according to NRK. Nobel Prize award ceremonies are held on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896. The award ceremony for peace is in Oslo and the other ceremonies are in Stockholm.

President Donald Trump met Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in person for the first time on Friday during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, a long-delayed meeting that centered on next year’s tournament but also touched on trade and tariffs. The two leaders spoke in the president’s box at the Kennedy Center and later joined Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney onstage for the draw. A senior White House official said the three leaders also held a private discussion afterward. Sheinbaum, who had said before leaving Mexico that she intended to raise U.S. tariffs on automobiles, steel and aluminum, posted on X after the meeting that they discussed the “great opportunity” of co-hosting the 2026 World Cup and agreed to continue working through trade issues. Mexico remains the United States’ largest trading partner, and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, crafted during Trump’s first term, is still in force. But Washington is reviewing the deal ahead of a joint assessment set for July, and Trump has repeatedly threatened broad tariff hikes, though many of those threats have not been carried out. Before Friday, Trump and Sheinbaum had spoken frequently by phone on issues ranging from fentanyl trafficking to tariff disputes, but despite meetings with other major world leaders, the two had not managed an in-person session until now. Sheinbaum has earned a reputation for managing a sensitive relationship with Washington by balancing respect with occasional humor and polite pushback. Mexican officials have been working to ease the impact of existing U.S. tariffs and prevent new ones, particularly measures that could hit the country’s crucial automotive sector. Mexico also continues to negotiate over import levies of 25 percent on the automotive industry and 50 percent on steel and aluminum. At the same time, Sheinbaum’s government has been working to protect millions of Mexican nationals living in the United States as the Trump administration expands mass deportation operations. A new 1 percent U.S. tax on remittances sent from the United States to Mexico is set to take effect on January 1. Immigration, though once at the center of bilateral tensions, has taken a lower profile amid a sharp drop in illegal border crossings. Recent discussions have focused more on persuading countries to take back their nationals and integrate them to reduce migration pressures — a key White House objective. On security, Mexico has extradited dozens of cartel suspects to the United States and expanded authority for its security chief, steps that U.S. officials say have improved cooperation on fentanyl and organized crime. Still, disagreements persist. Trump has criticized Sheinbaum for rejecting his suggestion that U.S. forces could conduct operations in Mexico, an idea she has firmly dismissed. Sheinbaum also objected to U.S. maritime strikes on suspected drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Trump, in turn, has accused her of being constrained by cartel violence. She avoided escalating the dispute, choosing not to respond directly to the remarks. Friday’s meeting, though largely framed around the World Cup, offered the two leaders their first opportunity for direct talks as both sides navigate a complex agenda involving trade, migration and security ahead of 2026.    

Advisers to US President Donald Trump and senior Ukrainian officials said they will meet for a third straight day on Saturday after reporting initial progress on shaping a security framework for postwar Ukraine. In a joint statement, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Hnatov cautioned that genuine movement toward any agreement will depend on Russia showing “serious commitment to long-term peace.” The two sides issued the remarks after a second day of talks in Florida, where Trump is pushing both Kyiv and Moscow to consider a US-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war. The statement said both delegations reviewed ideas for a future prosperity agenda aimed at supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction, bilateral economic initiatives and long-term recovery. They also discussed the deterrence capabilities Ukraine will need to maintain a lasting peace. Friday’s meeting was held at the Shell Bay Club in Hallandale Beach, a private luxury resort owned by Witkoff’s real estate company. The discussions followed earlier talks in Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin held a five-hour meeting with Witkoff and Kushner on Tuesday. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his delegation wanted updates from the US side about the Kremlin session. Zelenskyy and European leaders have repeatedly accused Putin of dragging out negotiations while Russian forces continue their offensive. In a video message Thursday, Zelenskyy said Kyiv wanted to know what new excuses Russia might be advancing to prolong the war and increase pressure on Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Friday, praised Kushner as potentially instrumental in ending the conflict. Ushakov, who also attended Tuesday’s Kremlin talks, said any settlement blueprint would likely bear Kushner’s imprint. His warm comments came as Putin seeks to widen divisions between Trump, Ukraine and Europe at a time when Trump’s frustration with the conflict is growing. Putin described this week’s meeting with Witkoff and Kushner as “necessary” and “useful,” though he said some proposals were unacceptable. Kushner, married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, served as a senior adviser during Trump’s first term and led the effort to negotiate the Abraham Accords. He has taken on a more informal role during Trump’s second term but recently helped Witkoff broker ceasefire and hostage arrangements between Israel and Hamas. Trump again paired him with Witkoff to work on a possible endgame for Russia’s invasion. From Europe, reactions reflected anxiety about security guarantees and Moscow’s intentions. Ushakov, speaking during Putin’s trip to India, repeated Russia’s claims that Europe is complicating the peace effort by insisting on terms unacceptable to Moscow. Ukraine’s European partners have said security assurances must be part of any settlement, fearing the possibility of future Russian aggression. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he saw signs of willingness from Chinese President Xi Jinping to contribute to peace efforts during his visit to Beijing. Macron said Ukraine needs credible guarantees that Russia will not attack again if a deal is reached and stressed the importance of a united Western approach. As diplomatic efforts continued, the conflict saw fresh violence. Russian drone strikes on Thursday night killed a 12-year-old boy in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region and injured two women, according to regional officials. Ukrainian forces said Russia launched 137 drones of various types overnight. Ukraine’s military reported long-range drone attacks on a Russian port and an oil refinery as part of an effort to disrupt Moscow’s logistics. The strikes targeted the Temriuk sea port in the Krasnodar region and the Syzran refinery in Samara, igniting fires, Ukrainian officials said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 85 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Talks between the US and Ukraine are expected to resume Saturday.  

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated again after heavy cross-border fire late Friday left four Afghan civilians dead, Afghan authorities said on Saturday. Fighting erupted along the Spin Boldak–Chaman border around 10:30pm local time and continued for nearly two hours, officials and residents said. Both sides blamed each other for firing first. Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistani forces of launching attacks toward Spin Boldak, prompting Afghan forces to retaliate. In contrast, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said Afghan forces carried out “unprovoked firing,” adding that Pakistan remained alert to protect its territory and citizens. Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of Kandahar’s information department, told AFP that Pakistani forces used light and heavy artillery, and mortar shells hit civilian homes. He said the clashes later subsided after both sides agreed to halt fire. Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban seized power in 2021, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups including the Pakistan Taliban (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army, and ISKP. The Taliban rejects the allegations, saying Pakistan is responsible for its own security. Border tensions spiked in October after Pakistan demanded the Taliban rein in fighters operating from Afghan soil, triggering a week of deadly clashes that killed about 70 people on both sides. A ceasefire was signed in Doha on October 19, but subsequent talks hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have failed to achieve lasting progress. Despite the fragile truce, Kabul alleges Pakistan has carried out repeated air strikes in eastern Afghanistan in recent weeks — including an attack in Khost province in late November that reportedly killed nine children and a woman. Pakistan has denied any involvement. Source Al Jazeera

FIFA has long maintained that political messages have no place in football, frequently penalising players who display them. Yet on Friday, the organisation’s president Gianni Infantino handed US President Donald Trump the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, prompting fresh questions about the body’s stance on neutrality. The announcement came less than a day after the Trump administration carried out another lethal air strike in the Caribbean, a timing that drew sharp criticism from rights advocates and football commentators. Craig Mokhiber, a former UN official who has pushed for Israel’s suspension from world football over its war in Gaza, called the award a “truly shameful development”. He argued that Infantino has consistently refused to hold Israel accountable, insisting that football “cannot solve geopolitical” problems. “Not satisfied with two years of FIFA complicity in genocide in Palestine, Infantino and his cronies have now invented a new ‘peace prize’ in order to curry favour with Donald Trump,” Mokhiber told Al Jazeera. He said the move helps “obscure” Trump’s “disgraceful record” on Israel, the deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean, and “gross violations of human rights” inside the United States. Infantino praises Trump’s global deals While presenting the award, Infantino lauded Trump’s international agreements, including the Abraham Accords that normalised relations between Israel and several Arab countries without addressing Palestinian statehood. The gesture appears at odds with Infantino’s previous insistence on keeping politics away from sport. “There’s no more powerful tool than sport to unite the people,” he said in 2023. “Now we have to protect the autonomy of sport: the political neutrality of sport and to protect the values of sport.” Critics noted the contrast between that message and the decision to honour a president who days earlier referred to people from Somalia as “garbage”. Football journalist Zach Lowy quipped on social media, “Giving Donald Trump a prize for peace is like giving Luis Suarez a prize for not biting people’s ears off.” Infantino has built a close relationship with Trump as the US prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. He has been a frequent visitor to the White House and joined Trump in October at a ceremony in Egypt marking the Gaza truce. FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. The Democratic Party also criticised the move, saying, “Trump couldn’t win a Nobel Peace Prize so FIFA made one up for him.” Trump’s record under scrutiny Despite brokering some international agreements, including between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Trump has consistently pushed for higher military spending among Western allies. He also ordered the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities in June and continued supplying arms to Israel amid its abuses against Palestinians. In the Americas, his administration has carried out 22 air strikes on vessels it claimed were transporting drugs, killing at least 86 people. Legal experts have broadly condemned the operations as unlawful extrajudicial killings. The US president has also deployed additional military assets near Venezuela, fuelling speculation of a possible intervention aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro. Domestically, Trump has intensified immigration crackdowns, detaining and attempting to deport non-citizens. Some advocates say they have been targeted over criticism of Israel, despite such speech being protected by the First Amendment. “US President Donald Trump was just awarded the newly created ‘FIFA Peace Prize’,” Human Rights Watch posted on X. “But his administration’s appalling human rights record certainly does not display ‘exceptional actions for peace and unity’.” Mokhiber said the “vulgar” award should be withdrawn. “FIFA rules do not allow play on a muddy pitch. They certainly shouldn’t play on a bloody pitch. But that’s precisely where Infantino is leading FIFA,” he said.    

Pakistani and Afghan forces traded gunfire late Friday along their tense shared border, though officials on both sides said no one was injured and no damage occurred. Each country accused the other of breaking a fragile, two-month ceasefire. Talks between Islamabad and Kabul meant to ease tensions and maintain the truce collapsed in November, although the Qatar-brokered agreement from October has largely remained in place. The latest exchange occurred a day after Pakistan agreed to let the United Nations move relief supplies into Afghanistan through the largely closed Chaman and Torkham crossings. Mohammad Sadiq, a Pakistani police official, said Afghan forces fired first near the vital Chaman crossing, prompting Pakistan to respond. In contrast, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Pakistan initiated the shooting in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district, forcing Afghan forces to return fire. Afghan border police spokesman Abidullah Farooqi also alleged that Pakistani troops threw a grenade into the Afghan side before the clash, adding that Afghanistan still supports the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Mosharraf Zaidi, speaking for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, wrote on X that the Afghan Taliban fired “unprovoked shots” earlier in the evening and that Pakistan’s military remains vigilant in defending its territory and citizens. Border tensions have been running high since deadly clashes in October left dozens dead and hundreds injured on both sides following explosions in Kabul that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. The violence marked the worst confrontation between the neighbors in years. Although the Qatar-mediated ceasefire helped reduce hostilities, follow-up talks in Istanbul failed to reach a lasting solution. Pakistan continues to accuse the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) — a group separate from but closely linked to the Afghan Taliban — of carrying out most militant attacks inside Pakistan. Many TTP fighters are believed to have found refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021, further straining relations.