United News of Bangladesh

Two teens met a tragic end as their motorcycle crashed into a truck from behind after being chased by police in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.  The deceased were identified as Rifat Ali, 18, son of Shah Alam, and Sohag Ahmed, 19, son of Ashraful Islam, of Azaipur-Pochapukur and Chandlai-Jorbagan areas respectively of the district town. According to witnesses, patrolling police signalled the motorcycle to stop at the Mor on the Chapainawabganj-Shibganj road on Friday afternoon. Ignoring the signal, they tried to speed away but the bike lost control and hit the truck from the behind, leaving Rifat dead on the spot and Sohag critically injured. Locals initially took Sohag to Chapainawabganj General Hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on way to Rajshahi. Sohag’s father Ashraful Islam alleged that the duo was hit by the truck and thrown onto the road when police chased them, leading to the fatality. Enraged by this, locals blockaded the road at the Mor with one of the bodies, disrupting the traffic movement. The agitators carried out vandalism at a police box at Bishwaroad Mor and damaged furniture by setting fire on those after dragging out. Besides, the angry people vandalised a police outpost in the nearby Shantibagh area and set fire to a motorcycle there. Though police tried to bring the situation under control, the mob chased them, triggering tension in the area. Youth stabbed to death in Chapainawabganj The road blockade continued until 7:30 pm while normalcy returned after Army personnel had arrived at the scene. Additional Superintendent of Police NM Wasim Firoz said, “Situation is under control now. The bodies of the deceased have been handed over to the families.” He said action will be taken if police members are found guilty of performing duty.    

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday urged the authorities to conduct a ‘prompt, impartial, thorough, and transparent’ investigation into the attack that led to Sharif Osman Bin Hadi’s death, and to ensure due process and accountability for those responsible. Türk said he was deeply troubled by the killing of Hadi, a prominent leader of last year’s protests in Bangladesh, who died of his injuries after being shot last week. Türk called for calm and for everyone to refrain from violence. “Retaliation and revenge will only deepen divisions and undermine the rights of all,” he said. Several protests erupted at various locations around the country after Hadi’s death was announced on Thursday, six days after he was shot. Some buildings were torched and vandalised, and a number of journalists have reportedly been assaulted. Udichi central office set on fire With the parliamentary elections scheduled for February, Türk said it was vital to ensure an environment in which all individuals can participate safely and peacefully in public life, and freely express different views. “I urge the authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and security of journalists at this critical time, and prevent further escalation of unrest,” Türk said. The High Commissioner said his Office stands ready to work with the authorities and all stakeholders to support efforts that uphold human rights and prevent further violence.  

Jagannath University Journalists’ Association (JnUJA) has strongly condemned and protested the attack, vandalism, arson, and looting at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. At the same time, the association has demanded the swift identification of those involved in these heinous acts and that they be brought under the law. In a statement issued today, Friday, JnUJA President Imran Hossain and General Secretary Mahtab Limon expressed this protest in a joint statement. Condemning the incident, they said that a planned attack on media offices is a direct assault on independent journalism. Such violence is unacceptable under any circumstances in a democratic state. They further stated that the journalistic community is currently living under extreme insecurity. Alongside journalists, their families are also spending their days in deep concern and anxiety. An attack on media institutions is essentially an attempt to suppress truth and freedom of expression. The harassment of Editor’s Council President and New Age Editor Nurul Kabir while he was on duty in front of The Daily Star building during the attack is extremely alarming. Harassing a senior editor in this manner sets an insulting and frightening precedent for the journalistic community. Additionally, expressing deep sorrow and anger over the killing of journalist Imdadul Haque Milon in Khulna, JnUJA leaders said that if impunity for the murder of journalists continues, professional security will face even greater threats. They called for those involved in this killing to be brought to justice without delay. The Jagannath University Journalists’ Association expects the state to take effective measures immediately to ensure the safety of media workers and to play a responsible role in protecting freedom of expression. JnUJA President Imran Hossain said, “We had hoped that in the present time the media would become more independent, but the reality is different. Attacking the media means plundering freedom of speech. We urge that fascist behavior not be directed toward the media.”  

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Friday welcomed former Iraqi president Barham Salih for being elected as the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Salih was elected by the UN General Assembly in New York through a competitive selection process involving candidates from several countries. He will assume office on January 1, 2026, with Geneva as his duty station. Grandi said Salih has been engaged in high-level public service for more than three decades and possesses resolute leadership qualities and thoughtful diplomatic judgment. “He comes from a country that has experienced conflict, persecution and displacement in recent years, which gives him a direct understanding of the challenges facing refugees today,” Grandi said. He added that Salih’s experience and background make him well suited to lead UNHCR at a time when global displacement has reached unprecedented levels. Grandi’s 10-year tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees will end on December 31. He took office in January 2016 and has since led the agency through major global displacement crises, including those in Syria, Ukraine and Sudan. Despite significant cuts to humanitarian funding this year, UNHCR continues to operate in 128 countries worldwide. Earlier this month, UNHCR marked 75 years of service dedicated to the protection of forcibly displaced people across the globe.

Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crashed in northwest Turkey, just days after another drone was shot down after entering the country’s airspace from the Black Sea, local media reported Friday. Residents in Kocaeli province discovered the damaged drone in a field, prompting official inquiries into its wreckage. The origin of the UAV remains unclear, though some reports suggest it may be Russian-made. Turkish officials have not yet provided comments on the incident. Earlier this week, Turkish F-16 jets intercepted and destroyed what officials described as an “out of control” drone after it violated Turkish airspace. The defense ministry said the drone was taken down in a safe location to protect civilians and air traffic. Following the incident, Turkey warned both Russia and Ukraine to exercise caution over Black Sea security amid escalating regional tensions. The ministry added that the downed drone likely broke into fragments, making identification and technical analysis challenging, with investigations ongoing.    

Udichi Shilpigosthi’s central office has been set on fire on Topkhana Road in the capital on Friday evening. The blaze originated around 7:42pm on the first floor of the building adjacent to the BMA Building. Four units of Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Rozina Khanom, duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters Control Room, said the cause of the fire could not be confirmed immediately. Suraiya Parvin, Music and Dance Affairs Secretary of the central committee of Udichi Shilpigosthi alleged that miscreants set fire to the office and fled the scene immediately. Witnesses said the incident occurred inside the lane opposite to the Jatiya Press Club where additional police, BGB and Army members have been deployed due to huge crowd. Due to the congestion, traffic movement from Kadam Foara crossing toward Paltan has been suspended on one side of the road, police said.

NASA has provided answers to common questions about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is set to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025. 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object to enter the Solar System after ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019, was discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile. NASA confirmed that the comet approached from the direction of the Sagittarius constellation, moving at around 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h) and accelerating to 153,000 miles per hour (246,000 km/h) near the Sun. The comet is believed to have originated from the thick disk of the Milky Way, with an estimated age of 7.6 to 14 billion years. It follows a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it is passing through the Solar System only once and will continue into interstellar space. Scientists say 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, maintaining a distance of at least 170 million miles (270 million km) at closest approach. Observations show the comet is active, with a nucleus diameter estimated between 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles (440 meters to 5.6 km), composed of water ice, carbon dioxide, and other gases. Its reddish hue is similar to D-type asteroids and previous interstellar object 2I/Borisov. Though not visible to the naked eye, 3I/ATLAS can be observed using telescopes. Its passage offers scientists a rare chance to study material from another star system, revealing insights into the composition and history of interstellar objects. ESA’s XMM-Newton telescope has also captured the comet in X-ray light, showing a massive debris cloud and typical cometary activity.   With inputs from NDTV

American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis during a live performance. The Constanța Court of Appeal ruled that Khalifa, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril, must serve the sentence in custody after overturning an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession. The court described the act as “ostentatious” and said the rapper sent a message normalising illegal conduct, potentially encouraging drug use among young people. The incident occurred at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti last year, where Khalifa smoked a joint on stage. Police had briefly detained Jibril after the concert on July 13, 2024, and prosecutors charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use. Investigators said he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed some in front of the audience. Khalifa, who was sentenced in absentia, was performing in California earlier this week and shared clips from home on social media. He apologised for offending Romania and said he would avoid using cannabis on stage in future. Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told UNB that extradition from the US is unlikely, calling the sentence “unusually harsh” given Khalifa’s wealth and the legal status of cannabis in the United States. The rapper, known for hits like Black and Yellow and See You Again, also runs a marijuana brand launched in 2016. While cannabis is legal in some US states, it remains illegal under federal law.   With inputs from BBC

Families of Ukrainian soldiers who died by suicide during the war face stigma and lack of recognition, raising concerns about the mental health of troops on the front lines. Kateryna, mother of 25-year-old Orest, said her son died in Donetsk in 2023 from a “self-inflicted wound,” according to official reports. She doubts the claim and said the army had deemed him fit for service despite poor eyesight. Orest was sent to the front as a communications specialist and became increasingly withdrawn before his death. Ukraine officially mourns more than 45,000 soldiers killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but there is no formal record of suicide among soldiers. Officials call such deaths isolated, yet families and human rights groups believe the numbers could be in the hundreds. Many families say soldiers who die by suicide are denied military honors, compensation, or public recognition. Kateryna said, “Some died the right way, and others died the wrong way. The state took my son, sent him to war, and brought me back a body in a bag.” Mariyana, whose husband Anatoliy died by suicide after being wounded at Bakhmut, said officials refused him a military burial. She described feeling abandoned by the state and criticized the stigma from others in the community. Viktoria from Lviv also lost her husband Andriy, a reconnaissance unit driver, to suicide in 2023. She said official investigations were inconsistent, and she continues to fight for the truth about his death. Oksana Borkun, who runs a support group for widows of soldiers who died by suicide, said about 200 families are part of the network. She and military chaplain Father Borys Kutovyi argue that these soldiers should be recognized as heroes, noting the psychological vulnerability of many recruited troops. Ukraine’s Commissioner for Veterans’ Rights, Olha Reshetylova, said she receives reports of up to four military suicides each month. She acknowledged the system needs reform and urged the government to provide truth and recognition to bereaved families. The ongoing crisis highlights the hidden mental health toll of war and the need for broader support for soldiers and their families.   With inputs from BBC

An unruly mob, incited by ex-journalist Elias Hossain, attacked and set fire to the office building of The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s leading English-language daily, early Friday, creating panic in the area following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a frontliner of the July Uprising. Soon after news broke that Hadi, spokesman of Inquilab Moncho, had died from gunshot wounds sustained on December 12, Elias Hossain — who commands a large following on social media — posted on Facebook instructing his followers to set fire to the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Prothom Alo was attacked first, and Hossain later posted again urging supporters to target The Daily Star, after which the mob moved to its office and carried out the arson. According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters, duty officer Md Shahjahan said they received information about the fire at around 12:40am, following which a fire service unit was dispatched to the scene. Members of law-enforcement agencies, particularly personnel of the Bangladesh Army, reached the spot soon after the attack and took position to restore order. Firefighters began operations to douse the flames upon arrival. During the incident, the disorderly crowd also set fire to the adjacent road, further worsening the situation. Army personnel later assisted the fire service in bringing the fires under control.