United News of Bangladesh

Tunisian President Kais Saied summoned the European Union’s ambassador to convey “a firmly toned protest” over a perceived breach of diplomatic protocol, Tunisia's presidency said Wednesday. The summons came after EU Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone met with the heads of Tunisia's influential UGTT labor union and main employers’ union UTICA. The two unions won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize along with two other Tunisian organizations for laying the groundwork for the North African country's new democracy. The Tunisian president’s office said in a statement that Saied reminded the ambassador that accredited envoys are expected to respect Tunisia’s sovereignty and follow official channels in their contacts. The statement did not specify what prompted the reprimand. European Commission spokesperson Anouar el-Anouni said Wednesday the EU ″takes note of the messages transmitted by President Saied″ to the ambassador. ″It is normal ... for diplomats to have dialogue with a broad range of interlocutors,″ el-Anouni said. ″That includes members of civil society, who can greatly contribute to reinforcing bilateral cooperation and improve the quality of dialogue.″ He noted the Nobel honors. In recent weeks, Tunisia has faced growing protests across the country, as doctors, activists and regular citizens raise demands for more social justice. Tunisia is also seeing an escalating clampdown on rights and freedoms under Saied, which he frames as a war against corruption and perceived national security threats. Saied has increasingly strained relations with major civil-society groups and conventional labor partners. The EU ambassador met this week with UGTT leader Noureddine Taboubi to mark 30 years of EU-Tunisia cooperation. According to a readout from UGTT’s Echaab newspaper, Perrone visited the union’s headquarters and praised the organization’s role in social dialogue and economic development. Taboubi used the meeting to call for deeper cooperation, notably regarding employment, professional training and economic reforms. Last week, Perrone met with UTICA leader Samir Majoul to discuss economic ties and challenges facing Tunisian industries. Both groups are considered key players in Tunisian society and have been at the center of national dialogue efforts since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

Belarusian opposition politician Mikola Statkevich has been returned to prison after refusing a U.S.-brokered “forced deportation,” activists said Tuesday. Statkevich, a former presidential candidate, had been freed on Sept. 11 under a pardon from President Alexander Lukashenko at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. He was placed on a bus with other released prisoners to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border but refused to leave his country, describing the move as a “forced deportation.” He reportedly broke down the bus door and remained in the no-man’s land for hours before Belarusian police escorted him back. Statkevich’s wife, Maryna Adamovich, confirmed that he was returned to prison and continues to serve his 2021 sentence for organizing mass unrest—a case human rights groups have described as politically motivated. Belarusian authorities have not disclosed his location or health status. Adamovich said she is particularly concerned for Statkevich, who suffered a heart attack in prison. Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer with the Viasna human rights group, criticized the move as “legal chaos,” noting that Statkevich had been pardoned and should have been free. He highlighted the arbitrary treatment of political prisoners who are expelled or re-imprisoned without due process. Lukashenko, in power for over 30 years, has sought to improve ties with the West, freeing a group of 52 mostly political prisoners earlier this year after discussions with Trump. Sanctions on Belarus’ national airline, Belavia, were subsequently lifted. Further Minsk-Washington talks are scheduled for December. Statkevich has spent more than 12 years in prison during his political career and is among the 1,246 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus, according to Viasna, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.  

Human rights organizations on Tuesday condemned the Trump administration’s decision to end temporary deportation protections for Myanmar citizens, despite ongoing civil war and alleged war crimes by the country’s military leadership. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that Myanmar’s “notable progress in governance and stability,” including planned elections in December and reported ceasefire agreements, justified ending the protections. “The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home,” she said. Critics dismissed the decision as dangerously misguided. Phil Robertson of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates said the move risks sending people back into “prisons, brutal torture, and death.” The shadow National Unity Government (NUG) also rejected Noem’s reasoning, citing ongoing military attacks, forced conscription, and the exclusion of genuine opposition in the upcoming elections. Myanmar’s military, led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, welcomed the U.S. decision. Government spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said returning citizens would face prosecution only for serious crimes, while others would receive “special leniency.” Since the military seized power in 2021, widespread uprisings have occurred, with opposition forces controlling large areas. The junta has been accused of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, using landmines, targeting schools, hospitals, and places of worship, and forcing civilians into combat situations. Min Aung Hlaing also faces an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity related to persecution of the Rohingya minority. Human rights reports indicate more than 30,000 political arrests and over 7,400 deaths since the coup. The U.S. State Department continues to advise against travel to Myanmar due to armed conflict, civil unrest, landmines, and arbitrary detentions. Despite these warnings, Homeland Security stated that country conditions have improved sufficiently for safe return and that continued temporary stay in the U.S. was “contrary to the national interest.” Human Rights Watch called the decision “egregious” and questioned its credibility, noting it could affect up to 4,000 people.

The United States on Tuesday said that the remaining hurdles in the Ukraine peace negotiations are “delicate” but “not insurmountable”, as European leaders met virtually to firm up their joint position on a possible settlement to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv now sees “many prospects that can make the path to peace real” after the latest round of talks in Geneva. His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, also reported progress, noting that the security guarantees Ukraine is seeking from Washington appear “very solid”. Despite the optimism, major differences remain, particularly over issues related to territory still occupied by Russian forces. Zelenskyy told European leaders he is prepared to discuss “sensitive” matters with US President Donald Trump and urged Europe to take part in those discussions. Several European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said talks are moving in a positive direction. Macron stressed that any deal must include strong, enforceable security guarantees for Ukraine, citing Russia’s repeated violations of previous commitments. The United Kingdom said it is “ready to move” with EU partners on the contentious issue of frozen Russian assets, while also pledging additional air defence missiles for Ukraine amid continued Russian air attacks. The renewed diplomatic push comes as Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least seven people and injured 20 others on Tuesday, including in the capital Kyiv, where multiple residential buildings were heavily damaged.   Source: ALJAZEERA

A Turkish parliamentary team on Monday held rare talks with Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as part of Ankara’s renewed push to end the decades-long Kurdish insurgency. According to a statement from the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the meeting focused on the PKK’s announcement earlier this year that it would dissolve the organisation and give up arms. Discussions also covered steps to implement an agreement envisioning the integration of Kurdish forces into a restructured Syrian army. The PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union — has fought the Turkish state since 1984. The group initially demanded an independent Kurdish state before shifting toward autonomy and wider cultural and political rights within Turkey. The conflict has long spilled over into Iraq and Syria. But progress on the March 10 deal between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has largely stalled. Ankara, which sees the SDF as an extension of the PKK, has been pushing for the agreement to move forward amid concerns that Syrian Kurdish fighters could retain de facto autonomy near Turkey’s border. Monday’s statement said the talks “concluded with positive outcomes aimed at strengthening social cohesion, brotherhood, and advancing the process from a regional perspective,” adding that lawmakers collected “detailed declarations” from Ocalan. Turkish media reported that the three-member delegation met Ocalan for about five hours on Imrali island, where he has been held since his 1999 capture. Despite his isolation, the 76-year-old remains a central figure for many Kurds and is widely viewed as critical to any lasting settlement. The PKK declared in May that it would disband and disarm, following Ocalan’s call to end armed struggle. A symbolic disarmament ceremony was later held in northern Iraq, where fighters began surrendering their weapons. Last month, the group said its remaining members had withdrawn from Turkey into Iraq. Several earlier attempts at peace between Ankara and the PKK collapsed, most recently in 2015.

President Donald Trump said Monday he has accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Beijing in April and has invited Xi for a U.S. state visit next year. Trump announced the plans after a phone call with Xi, nearly a month after their in-person meeting in South Korea. The leaders discussed issues including Ukraine, fentanyl, and U.S. soybean exports. “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Beijing noted the conversation also covered trade, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Xi emphasized that Taiwan’s return to China is “an integral part of the postwar international order,” a point Trump did not mention in his post. Analysts said the comments reflect ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China amid rising East Asian security concerns, particularly after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan might respond militarily if China acts against Taiwan. The call coincided with Trump’s push to support a peace settlement in Ukraine. Xi expressed hope for a “fair, lasting and binding peace agreement” and stressed China’s backing for efforts conducive to resolving the conflict. On trade, Trump highlighted progress on U.S. soybean purchases and fentanyl controls. Since the South Korea summit, China has resumed orders for nearly 2 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans and pledged additional purchases in coming years. China also imposed export limits on chemicals used to produce fentanyl, while the U.S. reduced tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump described the talks as “very important” for farmers and said the leaders aim to focus on “the big picture” as U.S.-China relations move forward.  

The U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced Monday it will permanently close its operations in Gaza, six weeks after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, saying it had completed its mission to deliver aid outside the United Nations system. GHF director John Acree said the foundation “succeeded in showing there’s a better way to deliver aid to Gazans” and will transfer its work to the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel. The foundation claimed over 3 million food boxes, equivalent to 187 million meals, had been distributed during its operation. Palestinians and aid groups criticized GHF, saying the system forced civilians to risk their lives traveling to aid sites under Israeli military control. While GHF said no violence occurred at the sites, witnesses and video reports indicated U.S.-employed security personnel used live ammunition and stun grenades as crowds sought food. Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister and military chief clashed publicly over probes into failures during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered a re-examination of the military’s internal review and froze new appointments, prompting military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to call the move “puzzling” and potentially harmful to army readiness. Zamir emphasized that the military had investigated its own failures and that any further review should be conducted by an independent external commission. Katz later reaffirmed his authority over military appointments, citing the government’s chain of command. In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said it killed a militant wanted in a May 2024 attack that killed two Israeli soldiers in Nablus. The army has conducted extensive operations in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 attacks, displacing tens of thousands and causing casualties among both militants and civilians. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 69,700 Palestinians have been killed and 170,800 injured in the Gaza war, with women and children constituting a majority of the casualties.  

The European Union on Tuesday proposed closer integration of its defense industry with Ukraine, amid ongoing uncertainty over a U.S. peace plan and Russia’s continued unconventional warfare. EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told lawmakers in Strasbourg that Ukraine’s defense industry “needs us, but we need Ukraine’s defense innovations even more.” He said granting Ukraine access to the EU’s Defence Investment Program would allow the procurement of military equipment “in, with and for Ukraine.” EU lawmakers are set to vote on a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) program, including 300 million euros ($345 million) for the Ukraine Support Instrument. EU defense spending is expected to reach 392 billion euros ($450 billion) this year, nearly double the level before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The European Commission plans to increase the EU’s long-term defense and space budget to 131 billion euros ($153 billion) over the coming decade and urges member states to source military equipment largely within the bloc, with EU support to lower costs and speed up delivery. Kubilius said EU defense companies could access tax breaks and financial incentives for joint European defense projects that no single country could manage alone, such as Eastern Flank Watch, Drone Defense Initiative, or Space Shield. He added that Ukrainian participation would inject “military innovation” into the EU’s defense industry. Last week, the European Commission introduced a new defense package to enable faster deployment of troops and tanks across Europe, along with the EU Defense Industry Transformation Roadmap, aimed at simplifying regulations and directing investment into domestic production of weapons, vehicles, satellites, and ammunition.  

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday said she received a call from U.S. President Donald Trump following his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid rising tensions over her remarks on Taiwan. Speaking briefly at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, said Trump “told me that he and I are extremely good friends and that I should call him any time.” She did not confirm whether the Taiwan issue was discussed. Earlier this month, Takaichi angered China by suggesting Japan might respond militarily if China attempted to seize Taiwan, breaking with Japan’s long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity. She described a Chinese attack on the self-governing island as potentially “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan. China reacted with strong criticism and economic measures. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Takaichi “crossed a red line” and warned of a resolute response, urging the international community to prevent a resurgence of Japanese militarism. Takaichi said Trump briefed her on the U.S.-China relationship following his call with Xi. They also discussed strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance and regional development and challenges in the Indo-Pacific. “We confirmed close coordination between Japan and the United States,” she said, without offering further details due to diplomatic protocol. Japan has resisted Chinese demands to retract Takaichi’s comment while reaffirming support for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan Strait issue. China has canceled official meetings, suspended exchanges, and advised its citizens against travel to Japan. The U.S. has maintained its position of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan, opposing the use of force to seize the island. While Trump has not publicly commented on Taiwan, China said he acknowledged the issue’s importance to Beijing. The dispute has also reached the United Nations, with both countries rejecting each other’s accusations as “erroneous.”  

The chairman of the BBC admitted on Monday that the broadcaster responded too slowly to concerns over a misleadingly edited clip of former U.S. President Donald Trump, but rejected accusations that political bias was influencing the organization from within its board. Top BBC executives appeared before Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee amid a major leadership turmoil, following the resignations of the director general and head of news, and Trump’s threat to file a $1 billion defamation lawsuit. The controversy escalated after the leak of an internal memo written by a former external adviser. The document criticized the BBC’s editorial approach in a documentary aired shortly before the 2024 U.S. election, as well as wider coverage on transgender issues, Gaza and race. Chairman Samir Shah said the broadcaster should have addressed the issues far sooner. The documentary, produced by an external company, stitched together lines from Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a way that made it appear he directly encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.” Shah acknowledged it created the false impression of a call to violence. He told lawmakers the BBC should not have waited for the matter to become public before investigating. The broadcaster has apologized for the edit, though it maintains it did not defame Trump. Shah also defended board member Robbie Gibb, who has faced allegations of Conservative Party influence due to his prior role in government. Gibb dismissed suggestions that board politics triggered the resignations of senior news leaders. Lawmakers also questioned former journalist and standards adviser Michael Prescott, who authored the leaked memo. He highlighted systemic weaknesses in how the BBC responds to editorial complaints, but said he did not believe the broadcaster was institutionally biased. The crisis follows a recent ruling by the U.K. media regulator, which found that a BBC documentary on Gaza was “materially misleading.” The revelations have intensified scrutiny on the 103-year-old publicly funded institution, which is legally required to maintain impartiality. Legal analysts say Trump would face significant obstacles pursuing a lawsuit in either the U.K. or the U.S., arguing the BBC could show he suffered no damage since he ultimately won the 2024 presidential election. Source: AP