United News of Bangladesh

  Britain’s Prince Andrew has been stripped of his remaining royal titles after fresh revelations about his connection with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein proved to be the final blow for King Charles III. For more than four decades, the 65-year-old duke has drawn criticism for behavior that embarrassed the royal family, sparked lawsuits, and fueled claims that he misused his royal position for personal gain. Key moments that damaged the image of Queen Elizabeth II’s second son include: 1984: Andrew sprayed journalists with paint while visiting a Los Angeles construction site, later remarking, “I enjoyed that.”2007: He sold his Sunninghill Park mansion for 20% above its £15 million asking price to Kazakh businessman Timur Kulibayev, raising suspicions of influence-buying.2010: An undercover sting caught Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, allegedly offering to sell access to him for £500,000.2011: He resigned as the UK’s special trade envoy amid growing scrutiny over his ties to Epstein and the Gadhafi family.2019: Epstein’s arrest and subsequent death in custody renewed attention on allegations that Andrew had sex with an underage girl trafficked by Epstein — claims he denies.November 2019: His disastrous BBC interview defending his friendship with Epstein led to widespread backlash.2020: The Palace suspended Andrew from royal duties and revoked his patronage of 230 charities.2022: He settled a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre in the US for a reported $10 million, without admitting wrongdoing.2024: Court documents linked him to a suspected Chinese spy banned from Britain for national security concerns.April 2025: Giuffre died by suicide in Australia.October 2025: Leaked emails showed Andrew contacted Epstein in 2011 — contradicting his earlier claim of cutting ties — writing that they were “in this together.”The latest disclosure proved intolerable for King Charles, who ordered Andrew to surrender all remaining royal honors, effectively ending his public role.

A car belonging to renowned Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci exploded outside his home overnight, triggering an anti-Mafia investigation and widespread condemnation from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and media groups. No injuries were reported. The blast late Thursday in Pomezia, south of Rome, destroyed Ranucci’s car, damaged another vehicle and his front gate. Police said the explosion occurred just after Ranucci returned home, noting his daughter had passed by the area only half an hour earlier. Ranucci, host of RAI3’s acclaimed investigative program Report, has been under police protection since 2021 due to repeated threats over his reporting. Footage he recorded showed the mangled wreckage of the vehicles. Authorities from Rome’s anti-Mafia district are leading the probe, as the attack coincided with the eighth anniversary of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination by car bomb. Prime Minister Meloni condemned the incident as “a serious act of intimidation,” affirming that “freedom and independence of information are essential values of democracy.” Journalists’ unions and politicians across Italy expressed solidarity with Ranucci, who said he and his team face “a climate of isolation and delegitimization.” Report frequently exposes corruption involving Italian politicians and business figures. Ranucci, who has faced numerous defamation suits, was acquitted in one earlier this week.

The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum, warned Thursday that China poses a “daily” threat to the United Kingdom’s national security, underscoring mounting tensions after the collapse of a high-profile spy case. Speaking at a rare press briefing, McCallum said MI5 had thwarted a recent Beijing-linked threat and accused Chinese state actors of cyberespionage, tech theft, and covert interference in British public life. “Do Chinese state actors present a U.K. national security threat? The answer is yes — every day,” he said. The comments came days after prosecutors abruptly dropped charges against two men — academic Christopher Berry and parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash — accused of spying for China between 2021 and 2023. The move sparked political backlash, with officials and prosecutors blaming each other for the failure. Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the case collapsed because the government refused to confirm under oath that China was considered a national security threat during the alleged offenses. Prime Minister Keir Starmer denied interference, later releasing testimony from Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Collins, who described China as “the biggest state-based threat to the U.K.’s economic security.” McCallum said he was “frustrated” that prosecutions weren’t pursued, though decisions lay beyond MI5’s control. The intelligence chief added that Britain’s relationship with China remains a “complex mix of risk and opportunity.” Beyond Beijing, McCallum warned that Russia and Iran also pose “overlapping threats” to Britain. He said MI5 had disrupted a wave of espionage and violent plots over the past year, including 20 Iran-backed assassination attempts on British soil and Russian-led sabotage efforts. “State threats are escalating,” McCallum said. “We face multiple adversaries using increasingly aggressive methods.”

As Russia’s invasion continues to uproot millions, an American developer’s private effort is bringing renewed hope to displaced Ukrainians. Dell Loy Hansen, a 72-year-old real estate developer from Utah, has spent over $140 million building and restoring homes across Ukraine since 2022. His most notable project, Hansen Village, located near Kyiv, now shelters more than 2,000 people displaced from occupied territories. The settlement features modular homes, a school, a health clinic, and recreational areas — offering stability and dignity to families who lost everything. Hansen said his experience of public backlash years earlier in the U.S. gave him “humility” and inspired him to take action in Ukraine. “If you can build, then build. Don’t just watch,” he told the AP. Hansen’s initiatives include expanding housing projects, aiding elderly citizens, supporting a prosthetics clinic, and launching a non-profit affordable housing program. His efforts come as Ukraine faces a severe housing crisis, with one in three citizens displaced and 13% of homes destroyed or damaged, according to U.N. data. While government shelters and volunteer-run dormitories offer temporary refuge, overcrowding and lack of resources leave many in despair. “Sometimes six strangers must live in one small room,” said humanitarian worker Yevhen Tuzov. “What Hansen is doing is great — but why can’t we do that too?” Despite Hansen’s personal investment, his contribution is just “a fraction of what’s needed” for Ukraine’s $524 billion reconstruction challenge. Yet his work has drawn recognition from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked him for supporting vulnerable communities. For residents like 16-year-old Mykyta Bogomol, who fled Russian occupation in Kherson, Hansen Village represents safety and belonging. “Here, I finally feel safe,” he said. “I don’t need recognition,” Hansen added. “If this work gives people hope, that’s the only reward I need.”

An Armenian bishop has been charged with coercing citizens into joining public gatherings, in what the Armenian Apostolic Church denounced as part of a wider crackdown on critics of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, nephew of Church head Catholicos Karekin II, also faces allegations of large-scale theft and obstructing electoral rights, the Investigative Committee said Wednesday. The Church said 12 other clergymen from his diocese were also detained. In a statement, church leaders condemned the arrest as an attempt to “hinder normal religious activities,” accusing the government of targeting clergy opposed to Pashinyan’s rule. Proshyan’s arrest follows several recent detentions of senior priests, including Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, jailed in June for allegedly calling for a government overthrow. Relations between Pashinyan and the Church have worsened since April, when massive protests erupted over Armenia’s decision to hand border villages to Azerbaijan as part of normalization efforts.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu narrowly survived two no-confidence votes in Parliament on Thursday, avoiding a government collapse that could have plunged France deeper into political chaos. The outcome gives Lecornu a temporary reprieve and allows him to focus on his next major test — pushing through the 2026 national budget in a bitterly divided National Assembly. His survival also spares President Emmanuel Macron from having to dissolve Parliament and call new elections, a step he took in 2024 and had warned he might repeat. Lecornu, a close Macron ally, faced censure motions from both the far-left France Unbowed party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. The first motion fell short by 18 votes, gaining 271 of the 289 needed for a majority. Le Pen’s motion received only 144 votes, backed mainly by her party and a few allies. To shore up support, Lecornu hinted at suspending Macron’s controversial 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. The promise persuaded most Socialist Party lawmakers to withhold support for the opposition’s bid to topple him. The conservative Republicans, despite pressure from party figures aligned with Le Pen, also opted not to back his removal. Still, Lecornu’s position remains fragile. Any loss of support from the Socialists or Republicans during the upcoming budget negotiations could trigger another no-confidence challenge. He has pledged not to use the constitutional clause that allows a government to force through a budget without parliamentary approval — the same tool Macron used to push through pension reform amid protests. France’s lower house has been deeply split since Macron dissolved Parliament in 2024, leaving no clear majority. Lecornu urged lawmakers to put aside partisan goals, warning: “Do not hold the nation’s budget hostage.”

Senior Ukrainian officials met with major U.S. weapons manufacturers ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House later this week, as Kyiv seeks stronger military support in its war with Russia. A delegation led by Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, and Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko held talks with executives from U.S. defense giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, Yermak said in a Telegram post Wednesday. Although he didn’t specify details, Yermak said cooperation with both companies “continues to grow.” Ukraine is reportedly seeking cruise missiles, advanced air defense systems, and joint drone production agreements, according to presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. Raytheon produces Patriot air defense systems and Tomahawk cruise missiles — weapons that Ukraine hopes to obtain to strengthen its long-range strike capability. Lockheed Martin manufactures a wide range of advanced systems, including those used by NATO allies. Zelenskyy is expected to request Trump’s approval to purchase Tomahawk missiles during their upcoming Oval Office meeting. Washington has been cautious about the move, fearing it could escalate the war and worsen U.S.-Russia tensions. Trump, however, warned Moscow on Sunday that he might authorize the delivery of Tomahawks if Russia refuses to end the war soon — a move seen as an attempt to pressure President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said they struck an oil terminal in Russian-occupied Feodosia in Crimea overnight, damaging 16 fuel reservoirs. Russia retaliated with missile strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, causing blackouts in at least two regions, according to Naftogaz. Ukraine’s delegation also met U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to finalize a new U.S.-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund, aimed at boosting investment in the country’s mineral, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Belgian police fired tear gas Tuesday to disperse tens of thousands of protesters in Brussels rallying against Prime Minister Bart de Wever’s proposed austerity measures. Minor clashes broke out as demonstrators played drums, blew horns, and set off flares and smoke bombs while chanting against cuts to pensions, healthcare, and social welfare programs. The protest caused severe traffic disruptions, blocking major roads and transport hubs in the capital. Organized by Belgium’s three main trade unions, the nationwide strikes target De Wever’s plan to slash spending in an effort to tackle the country’s economic challenges. Organizers estimated the turnout at over 150,000, while police reported around 80,000 participants. The Federal Planning Office projects Belgium’s budget deficit could rise to 6.5% of GDP by 2030. De Wever, a Flemish nationalist, assumed office in February.

Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will make a state visit to the United Kingdom from Dec. 3-5, Buckingham Palace announced Monday. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender at Windsor Castle. Although Steinmeier has visited the U.K. several times, this will be the first formal state visit by a German president in 27 years and only the fifth since 1958. State visits feature Britain’s signature pomp and pageantry, including ceremonial salutes, carriage rides, and a lavish state banquet, reflecting the close ties between the two nations. Invitations for such visits are extended by the monarch at the request of the government. King Charles, who visited Germany in 2023 on his first foreign trip as monarch, emphasized the historic and ongoing economic, scientific, cultural, and military cooperation between the U.K. and Germany, noting his family’s historic links to the House of Hannover.

Russia launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s power grid overnight, wounding two energy workers and damaging key infrastructure as part of its campaign to weaken Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of winter. Regional officials said facilities in Kyiv, Donetsk, Odesa, and Chernihiv were hit. “Russia continues its aerial terror against our cities and energy systems,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, saying over 3,100 drones and 92 missiles were launched last week. Zelenskyy urged tougher secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil and said he had a “productive” phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss air defense, energy, and long-range strike capabilities. In a Fox News interview, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “working on” acquiring U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles but added, “We will see.” Trump recently said he has “sort of made a decision” on sending Tomahawks, while a senior Ukrainian delegation is due in Washington this week. Moscow reacted sharply. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Tomahawk issue is of “extreme concern,” warning of rising tensions. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko downplayed the likelihood of the U.S. supplying the missiles, calling Trump’s approach “tactical.” Ukraine’s power infrastructure has been a constant target since Russia’s full-scale invasion began over three years ago. The latest strikes followed Friday’s barrage that injured at least 20 people in Kyiv and caused widespread blackouts — described by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko as one of the largest attacks on the energy grid. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted or jammed 103 of 118 Russian drones overnight, while Moscow claimed to have downed 32 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.