United News of Bangladesh

Turkey will export 48 of its nationally-produced KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday, marking the first export deal for the advanced aircraft that is still in the development stage. Erdogan said in an X post that the 48 KAAN fighter jets would be manufactured in Turkey and exported to Indonesia, adding that Indonesia’s “local capabilities” would be integrated into the production process, reports AP. The Turkish leader didn't elaborate or disclose the financial details of the agreement. The deal came on the sidelines of the defence industry exposition, Indo Defence 2025, in Jakarta, Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported. Turkish prosecutors target 63 members of military over ties to 2016 coup attempt “This agreement showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and national defence industry,” Erdogan said. He also praised Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for his role in securing the agreement. Turkey’s first indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN successfully completed its maiden flight in 2024. Its first units are expected to be delivered in 2028. The deal came amid growing economic and defence ties between Turkey and Indonesia. Earlier this year, the two countries agreed on the joint development of a Baykar combat-drone factory in Indonesia. Pakistan and Azerbaijan, which also have strong defence ties with Turkey, are reported to be interested in purchasing KAAN fighters.

China is rolling out extended marriage leave in at least 27 provincial-level regions as part of ongoing efforts to foster a more family-friendly society. The government of Sichuan Province, one of the country's most populous regions, has unveiled a plan to extend marriage leave from three to 20 days, with an additional five days for those who opt for a premarital medical checkup. The proposal is currently open for public comment throughout June. "Previously, with only three days off, it could be a challenge to get home for a wedding itself -- forget about a honeymoon!" said Wang Mengdi, an employee at a Sichuan-based human resources firm. "But with 25 days, you have ample time to enjoy a decent honeymoon." Shandong Province in east China, the ancestral home of Confucius, with a permanent population exceeding 100 million, further reinforced its cultural emphasis on family bonds by extending marriage leave from three days to a maximum of 18 days through legislative action in January. Currently, China grants newlyweds a three-day marriage leave at the national level, a tradition that dates back to 1980. "The one- to three-day marriage leave can barely meet the needs of today's young couple for wedding preparation and ceremonies. This has even impacted marriage registration and fertility rates to some extent," said Xu Jinmei, a senior legislator in Shandong. Amid rapid industrialization and urbanization, millions of young adults have migrated from their hometowns in pursuit of education and career opportunities. Despite this mobility, the deeply rooted tradition of returning home for wedding celebrations remains strong. The custom requires substantial time investments, as many must travel a long way back home to hold their weddings. Provincial-level regions in China have the autonomy to determine the length of marriage leave, often influenced by local customs and demographic policies. The provinces of Shanxi and Gansu offer the most generous policies, allowing up to 30 days of paid leave for newlyweds. The incentive measures were rolled out amid marriage registration declines in China. Official data show that 1.81 million couples registered to tie the knot in the first quarter of 2025, down 8 percent year on year. After a brief rebound in 2023, registrations fell again last year, reaching the lowest level since 1980. Scholars attribute the drop to several factors, including a shrinking pool of marriage-age adults and waning enthusiasm for matrimony. "In the 1980s, more than 20 million people were born each year in China. But since 2000, that number has dropped to just over 10 million annually. So naturally, the base number for marriage registrations is much lower now," said Jiang Quanbao, a professor at the institute for population and development studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Li Ting, a demographer at Renmin University of China in Beijing, noted that higher levels of education and a growing sense of individualism have combined to significantly challenge traditional views on marriage. "In the past, young people got married around the time they graduated or started working, but now many won't consider marriage until they're planning to have children," Li added. In a country where the traditional belief is that marriage should precede childbearing, declining marriage rates have become one of the factors behind falling birth rates. In response to these challenges, authorities across the country have introduced various measures to foster a newlywed-friendly society. China streamlined marriage registration. Since May, couples have been able to register their marriage anywhere in the country without presenting a household registration booklet. Local authorities have also extended maternity leave and paternity care leave to support family planning. However, some worry that extended marriage leave, maternity leave, and other benefits could end up becoming empty promises due to the economic pressures faced by enterprises. Zhai Zhenwu, president of the China Population Association, noted that the overall extension of marriage leave and maternity leave is not that costly. "This should not be a barrier to extending maternity leave," he said. Zhai also proposed that local budgets help enterprises to offset some of the costs of maternity and marriage leave policies. The suggestion appears to have resonated with policymakers, as reflected in the draft policy statement from Sichuan provincial authorities. The policy document open for public consultation noted that governments at or above the county level should coordinate multi-channel funding to establish a reasonable cost-sharing mechanism for marriage and parental leave, striving to guarantee the full implementation of the leave.

A group of international journalists visited Beijing First Experimental Primary School’s Hepingmen campus in Beijing’s Xicheng District on Tuesday, gaining insight into China’s comprehensive approach to early education. Since its founding in 1912, the school has been dedicated to developing students’ intellect, physical strength, emotional balance, and cultural roots from a young age. Beginning of the visit, two 12-year-old students guided the journalists, sharing the school’s history and achievements, which impressed the visitors. The school’s facilities are modern and well-maintained, including a gymnasium and sports field funded by Bangladesh, named the "China-Bangladesh Gymnasium" and the "China-Bangladesh Sports Field".

Authorities in India's conflict-stricken Manipur state have imposed a curfew and suspended internet services in response to fresh unrest following the arrest of leaders from an ethnic group. Tensions flared after police detained five senior members of Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei organization, including its head, Asem Kanan Singh. Singh was apprehended by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Imphal airport for alleged involvement in criminal activities tied to the ethnic violence that erupted in 2023. The CBI later transferred him to Guwahati in Assam, citing ongoing instability in Manipur. Manipur has faced recurring violence since last year due to clashes between the dominant Meitei community and the minority Kuki group, resulting in over 250 deaths and the displacement of thousands. Arambai Tenggol, which presents itself as a social group, holds significant sway within the Meitei population. Curfew imposed in parts of India’s Nagpur after violence over Aurangzeb tomb dispute The arrests on June 7 triggered widespread protests, with demonstrators storming a police outpost, torching a bus, blocking roads, and clashing with security forces. Reports indicate a 13-year-old boy was injured when security personnel used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse crowds. In response to the escalating unrest, the state government shut down mobile internet and data services in five districts for five days, imposed an indefinite curfew in one district, and banned gatherings in several areas. Additionally, Arambai Tenggol announced a 10-day shutdown starting Saturday night. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to restore peace in the troubled region and accused him of neglecting his responsibilities by not visiting the state or engaging with its leaders. The central government had earlier assumed direct control of Manipur after the resignation of the chief minister amid growing criticism. Total curfew imposed in Manipur as tension escalates On Sunday, a cross-party group of lawmakers met the state governor, with BJP legislator Kh Ibomcha stating they had requested the release of the arrested leaders after police interrogation. The BJP has faced strong condemnation from opposition leaders and human rights groups over its handling of the crisis. Source: BBC

Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the resilient and deepening "Paukphaw" (fraternal) bond with Myanmar, emphasizing that over the past 75 years, this enduring friendship has withstood the test of time and continues to grow stronger. Xi made the remarks in a message on Sunday, commemorating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar. Additionally, President Xi Jinping and Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing exchanged congratulations to celebrate the milestone. China leads global push for ecological civilization: Experts In his message, Xi said upholding the jointly advocated Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the Bandung Spirit, the two countries have been committed to good neighborliness, deepened mutually beneficial cooperation, and firmly supported each other on issues regarding their respective core interests and major concerns, setting a fine example of friendly exchange between countries. President Xi recalled his meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Russia in May, when the two leaders reached important consensus on building the China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China's market remains a magnet for foreign investment: FM spokesperson China attaches great importance to the development of its ties with Myanmar and stands ready to work with Myanmar to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to accelerate high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, jointly implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative and push for solid progress in building the China-Myanmar community with a shared future, so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples, Xi stressed.  

China is a leading force promoting ecological civilization in both thinking and action, U.S. and European experts told Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing International Forum on Ecological Civilization. The three-day event, which kicked off Thursday at Pomona College in the city of Claremont, California, drew more than 100 experts from around the globe to discuss theories and practices of ecological civilization, and the reforms needed in politics, economics, business, education and AI, among other fields, to promote the construction of ecological civilization. Many experts noted that the term ecological civilization was deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. "The vision of ecological civilization comes to us from China. China continues to be a leader in the globe for ecological civilization," according to Andrew Schwartz, an organizer of the forum as the executive director of the Center for Process Studies. "I'm aware of the fact that the term ecological civilization is not actually an English term. It comes from China. So already, China has influenced the world just by adopting that kind of language," said U.S. ecological civilization scholar Clifford Cobb, a pioneer in Green GDP in the West. Cobb noted that pushing for ecological civilization is a top-down initiative in China, spearheaded by the central government, unlike in the United States, where a strong leadership is absent in Washington. "In the United States, if you look at the national level, no one is thinking about this kind of thing at all," he said. Apart from ambitious goals, experts said China also impressed the world with its actions. "When China says they want to do something green, build up infrastructure, lift people out of poverty, they do it quickly. And in the U.S. we mostly just talk about it for a couple of decades and then make very little progress," said Schwartz, adding that concrete actions by China gave him hope. David Schwerin, author of many books including "Conscious Capitalism: Principles for Prosperity," said he had been to China nine times since 2001 and had witnessed the dramatic change in China's environment. China's progress is the result of resolve and evolving views of both the government and the people, commented Schwerin, while expressing the hope that China's experience can help to bring other countries along. For Attila Grandpierre, a well-known astrophysicist from Hungary, China's most impressive feat was lifting its population out of extreme poverty. "This is a world-class result, absolutely outstanding," he said. In Grandpierre's mind, ecological civilization should be a life-centered civilization, and the enhancement of the living standard of mankind contributes to the ecological environment as a whole. All experts agreed that promoting ecological civilization needed the concerted efforts by countries across the world. For Schwartz, when like-minded people convene from around the world and share ideas, it's like "making music together." "It's like an improvisational kind of music like the American Jazz, where we riff off of each other." The forum is co-organized by the Center for Process Studies, the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, Pomona College, and the municipal government of Claremont, among others. The International Forum on Ecological Civilization was first held in 2006.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that regardless of external challenges, China's manufacturing continues to be essential worldwide, and its market will always be a magnet for foreign investment, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. It was reported that amid the severe international economic environment, China's trade and economic ties with the rest of the world remain robust. In the first five months of this year, China opened 101 international air cargo routes in total, and over 195 weekly round-trip flights were added. From January to April, China's port cargo throughput was 5.755 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent year on year, and port container throughput exceeded 110 million TEUs, up 7.9 percent year on year. China's railway passenger traffic surpasses 4.31 billion in 2024 In response, Lin Jian told a news briefing that in the first four months of this year, China's trade in goods grew by 2.4 percent year on year. Trade growth in April was 4.3 percentage points higher than that in the first quarter. He said China's economy continues to unleash its vitality, and resilience in trade continues to strengthen. It fully shows that whatever challenge may appear in the external environment, China's manufacturing remains needed by the world, and the Chinese market will always be a magnet for foreign investment. Chinese FM to attend FOCAC ministerial meeting, 4th China-Africa Expo "Unilateralism and protectionism are unsustainable. Walls and barriers created by some will not stop China from engaging in open cooperation with other countries for shared development," he said.

China's railway system transported over 4.31 billion passengers in 2024, marking an 11.9 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to the National Railway Administration. Railway cargo transportation volume approached 5.18 billion tonnes last year, reflecting a 2.8-percent growth compared to the previous year. In terms of investment, China's railway sector saw fixed-asset investment amount to 850.6 billion yuan (around 118.39 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024. During the same period, 3,113 km of new railway lines were inaugurated, about 79 percent of which are high-speed railways. As the modern railway network continued to expand, China's total operational length of lines reached 162,000 km in 2024, including over 48,000 km of high-speed railway lines. Furthermore, railway transportation remained safe, stable, and orderly throughout 2024, with no severe railway traffic accidents in China, the administration added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated one of the most ambitious railway projects ever built in India, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the vast Indian plains by train for the first time. Modi visited the Chenab bridge with tight security, waving an Indian tri-color flag before boarding a test train that passed through picturesque mountains and tunnels to reach an inauguration ceremony for another high-elevation bridge named Anji, reports AP. He also helped launch a pair of new trains called “Vande Bharat” that will halve the travel time between Srinagar and the town of Katra in Jammu to about three hours from the usual six to seven hours by road. Dubbed by government-operated Indian Railways as one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 272-kilometer (169-mile) line begins in the garrison city of Udhampur in Jammu region and runs through Indian-controlled Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. The line ends in Baramulla, a town near the highly militarized Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. The line travels through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges. The Indian government pegged the total project cost at around $5 billion. One of the project’s highlights is a 1,315-meter-long (4,314-foot) steel and concrete bridge above the Chenab River connecting two mountains with an arch 359 meters (1,177 feet) above the water. Indian Railways compared the height to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands 330 meters (1,082 feet), and said the bridge is built to last 120 years and endure extreme weather, including wind speeds up to 260 kph (161 mph). Kashmir tourism bears the brunt after tourist massacre and India-Pakistan military strikes Modi travelled to Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday for the first time since a military conflict between India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region last month, when the countries fired missiles and drones at each other. The conflict began with a gun massacre in late April that left 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied. Addressing a public rally in Katra, Modi lashed out at Pakistan and alleged Islamabad was behind the massacre. He said the attack was primarily aimed at Kashmir’s flourishing tourism industry and meant to fuel communal violence. “I promise you, I won’t let developmental activities stop in Kashmir,” Modi said, adding that local industries and businesses will get a boost from the new rail connectivity. The railway project is considered crucial to boosting tourism and bringing development to a region that has been marred by militancy and protests over the years. The line is expected to ease the movement of Indian troops and the public to the disputed region, which is currently connected by flights and mountain roads that are prone to landslides. India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a charge Islamabad denies. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

A Japanese court ruled former executives at the utility managing the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were not accountable for the 2011 meltdown crisis and do not need to pay damages to the company. The Tokyo High Court ruling on Friday reversed a lower court decision in 2022 ordering four former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings to pay 13 trillion yen ($90 billion) to the company, saying they had failed to take the utmost safety precautions despite knowing the risks of a serious accident in a major tsunami. A magitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed key cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing its three reactors to melt down, spreading large amounts of radiation in the area and keeping tens of thousands of residents from returning home due to radioactive contamination and other safety concerns. The Tokyo District Court ruling three years ago was the only ruling that held the former TEPCO liable for the Fukushima disaster. It upheld the plaintiffs’ argument that the executives had neglected to heed experts’ long-term tsunami predictions and failed to take adequate tsunami precaution measures soon enough.