United News of Bangladesh

As Hurricane Erin approached North Carolina's Outer Banks on Tuesday, Holly Andrzejewski was forced to reschedule the first guests of the Atlantic Inn — which she and her husband had just purchased — before they had even officially welcomed them. The approaching storm brought threats of rough surf and tropical storm-force winds, prompting evacuations in areas like Hatteras Island. Though Erin is expected to remain offshore, officials issued evacuation orders for barrier islands, including Hatteras, warning that the storm could generate life-threatening rip currents and waves as high as 15 feet (4.6 meters), possibly flooding roads. The Andrzejewskis had only owned the historic inn — the oldest on the island — for less than a week. By Monday, they had secured outdoor items and ensured their daughter and her boyfriend, who manage the inn, had supplies like generators and water to ride out the storm. Andrzejewski, who lives 15 minutes away, also planned to stay on the island. “It’s part of living at the beach — you know it’s always a risk, so you just deal with it,” she said. On Monday, Erin brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the Caribbean. While forecasters expect it to turn north and avoid the U.S. mainland, tropical storm and surge warnings were issued across much of the Outer Banks. Lifeguards in Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, reported rescuing over 60 swimmers caught in rip currents. As of early Tuesday, Erin’s sustained winds had decreased to 120 mph (195 kph), and it was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), about 770 miles (1,240 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras. The Turks and Caicos Islands remained under a tropical storm warning, with ports closed, government services halted, and residents told to stay indoors. Coastal flooding along North Carolina’s Outer Banks is expected from Tuesday through Thursday. The evacuations from Hatteras and Ocracoke come during peak tourist season on these vulnerable barrier islands, which are increasingly threatened by storm surges. Last year, even though Hurricane Ernesto stayed far offshore, it still generated high waves and coastal damage. Now, officials worry that prolonged heavy surf and strong winds from Erin could erode parts of the main highway, potentially making some roads unusable for days. This marks the first evacuation of Ocracoke since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which caused unprecedented damage on the island. Tommy Hutcherson, owner of the island’s only grocery store, said the community has largely recovered but remains cautious. “You just never know. I thought the same about Dorian — and we got hit hard,” he said. Experts say climate change is driving more rapid intensification of Atlantic hurricanes. Warmer oceans and higher atmospheric moisture levels are contributing to stronger, wetter storms. In Bermuda, which is expected to see the worst impact Thursday night, waves could reach 24 feet (7 meters), according to local meteorologists. Officials there are urging the public to stay off the water to avoid life-threatening conditions.

Two of the three people killed in a bar shooting in the New York City borough of Brooklyn were among the four shooters who opened fire inside the building, the city's police commissioner said Monday. Jamel Childs, 35, and Marvin St. Louis, 19, both of Brooklyn, were seen on surveillance video arguing in the Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. About 10 minutes later, St. Louis approached Childs and opened fire, and Childs and two other men fired back. Both Childs and St. Louis were shot multiple times and were pronounced dead at a hospital a short time after the shooting. The third man killed, 27-year-old city resident Amadou Diallo, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Diallo appears to have been an innocent bystander. Two other men who also opened fire in the bar remained at large Monday, Tisch said, but she did not disclose further details about them. A possible motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but authorities have said it appears to be gang-related. Besides those killed, 14 others were shot in the incident, but none of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday. Investigators found at least 42 shell casings from 9 mm and .45-caliber weapons and a firearm in a nearby street following the shooting. The violence was the second mass shooting within weeks in New York City during a year that has otherwise seen declining gun violence. On July 29, a man stalked through a Manhattan office tower with a rifle, wounding one person and killing four others. Didarul Islam, a New York City police officer, was among those who died in that shooting. His wife gave birth late Sunday night to a boy, their third child together. Adams said Sunday that both shootings reinforce “why we do this work of going after guns off our streets.”  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, following Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which produced no agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he had a “long and substantive” conversation with Trump on Saturday after the U.S. leader met Putin in Alaska. He thanked Trump for the invitation to meet in person and said the two leaders would “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.” Highlighting Europe’s role, Zelenskyy said, “It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.” Zelenskyy spoke to Trump one-on-one, followed by a call with other European leaders. The discussions lasted about an hour and a half. The US-Russia summit in Alaska saw Trump welcome Putin, but ended without tangible progress on ending the war. Trump said, “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” after Putin claimed the two leaders had reached an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.” Trump leaves Alaska summit with Putin without a Ukraine peace deal Before leaving Alaska, Trump told Fox News Channel that the responsibility might fall on Zelenskyy “to get it done,” while also acknowledging European involvement. After returning to Washington, Trump spoke with NATO leaders following his call with Zelenskyy but did not speak to reporters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the discussions included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. European leaders, who were not part of Friday’s summit, had no immediate comment. Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued overnight. Ukraine’s Air Force reported one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones were launched, 61 of which were intercepted. Front-line areas in Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv came under attack.

The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Friday to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department, hours after his administration named a federal official as the department’s emergency head. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith warned the move would “threaten law and order” by dismantling the command structure. “In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive,” she said in a court filing. District Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued the order placing Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole in charge is illegal and would “wreak operational havoc.” He urged the court to reverse it, calling the administration’s actions “an affront” to the city’s 700,000 residents. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that Cole would approve all directives to officers, rescinding the city’s “sanctuary” policies. Mayor Muriel Bowser countered that no law allows a federal official to control D.C. personnel. Far-right Israeli minister confronts Barghouti in prison At a hearing, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes questioned Bondi’s authority to sideline Smith. The Justice Department declined to comment. The takeover, framed by Trump as part of a “tough-on-crime” and immigration crackdown, marks one of the most sweeping federal assertions over a local government in modern times. National Guard troops, federal agents and 20 law enforcement teams have been deployed, arresting 33 people, including 15 undocumented migrants. Protesters rallied outside police headquarters, chanting “Protect home rule!” as the city braced for a deepening political and legal fight over its autonomy.

U.S. President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at a high-stakes Alaska summit that could shape the course of the war in Ukraine and redefine Moscow-Washington relations. The one-on-one talks, followed by meetings with their delegations over a working breakfast and a joint press conference, mark the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders in the conflict context. The summit was held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, providing a secure venue while symbolically emphasizing Alaska’s historical ties with Russia. Trump, seeking to present himself as a global peacemaker and dealmaker, emphasized the possibility of a broad peace deal, including discussions on Ukrainian territorial concessions and security guarantees outside NATO. Putin aimed to solidify Russia’s gains and block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders were not invited, drawing criticism for sidelining Kyiv in talks directly affecting its sovereignty. Trump heads to Alaska for high-level talks with Putin Trump acknowledged a 25% chance of summit failure but floated a future three-way meeting with Zelenskyy if progress was made. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would maintain its clear position while avoiding pre-planning outcomes. The summit drew international attention, with analysts noting that U.S. adversaries, including China, Iran, and North Korea, would watch closely for indications of Trump’s negotiating approach and credibility. Moscow-based commentators highlighted the meeting’s potential to strain trans-Atlantic unity and weaken Europe’s stance toward Russia. As the war strains both Ukraine and Russia, the Alaska summit underscores the geopolitical stakes, with the outcome potentially influencing global security, NATO dynamics, and the ongoing conflict along the 1,000-kilometer front line in Ukraine.

Firefighters scrambled to control a fast-moving wildfire that erupted Thursday morning in hills along Interstate 5 in northwestern Los Angeles County, officials said. The King Fire has swiftly charred about 400 acres (162 hectares) of tinder-dry brush in a lightly populated area about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of downtown LA. An RV park was ordered to shelter in place and residents of remote homes were under evacuation warnings. The fire was 5% contained as of 6 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The California Highway Patrol closed some highway lanes as crews battled the flames. Off- and on-ramps were closed at Smokey Bear Road, along with several surrounding roads just north of Pyramid Lake in a mountainous area known for hiking and boating. The blaze is burning a few miles north of the Canyon Fire, which prompted evacuations, destroyed seven structures and injured three firefighters after breaking out Aug. 7. That fire was 97% contained Wednesday after charring about 8 square miles (22 square kilometers) of LA and Ventura counties. The Gifford Fire, California’s largest blaze so far this year, has scorched at least 204 square miles (528 square kilometers) of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since erupting on Aug. 1. It was 41% contained on Wednesday.  

A Rhode Island man who faked his death to avoid U.S. rape charges has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a former girlfriend, marking the first of two trials in Utah. A Salt Lake County jury on Wednesday convicted 38-year-old Nicholas Rossi of a 2008 rape following a three-day trial during which the victim and her parents testified. Rossi declined to testify in his defense. He is scheduled for sentencing on October 20 and faces another rape trial in September in Utah County. Utah Republicans push to let patients supply their own blood as vaccine concerns linger Rossi had reportedly claimed he died on February 29, 2020, from late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, police, a former lawyer, and a former foster family in Rhode Island raised doubts about his death. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 while receiving COVID-19 treatment, after hospital staff recognized his tattoos from an Interpol notice. Rossi was extradited to Utah in January 2024 following a failed appeal in which he alleged he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who was being framed.   Source: Agency

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning she will sue if he fails to do so. The dispute centers on remarks Biden — son of former President Joe Biden — made in an interview earlier this month with British journalist Andrew Callaghan. In the conversation, Biden alleged that Epstein introduced Melania to her husband, now-President Donald Trump. Melania’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, called the claim “false, defamatory and extremely salacious” in a letter sent to Biden on August 6. He said the comments, widely circulated on social media and reported globally, have caused the first lady “overwhelming financial and reputational harm.” During the interview, Biden criticized Democratic Party “elites” whom he claims undermined his father before his withdrawal from last year’s presidential race. Referring to the disputed claim, Biden said: “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep,” attributing the information to author Michael Wolff. Melania has previously dismissed Wolff as a “third-rate reporter” who fabricates stories to sell books. Melania Trump makes stylish return as First Lady The Trumps have long maintained that the couple met in 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by modeling agent Paolo Zampolli. Legal experts note that public figures like the Trumps face a high bar to win defamation cases in the U.S., but the first lady’s legal threat mirrors her husband’s frequent use of litigation against critics. Brito’s letter was first reported Wednesday by Fox News Digital. Abbe Lowell, Biden’s attorney, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.   Source: Agency

Nearly five centuries after Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés signed it — and decades after it disappeared from Mexico’s national archives — the United States has returned a priceless manuscript page to Mexico. The historic document, bearing Cortés’ signature dated February 20, 1527, was handed back on Wednesday after an FBI investigation traced it to the U.S. The page is considered a significant cultural treasure, as it was signed just six years after Cortés’ conquest of the Aztec empire in 1521, two years after his arrival in present-day Mexico. FBI Special Agent Jessica Dittmer, a member of the bureau’s Art Crime Team, said the manuscript had passed through multiple hands over the years, making it impossible to prosecute anyone. “Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico’s history,” she said, noting that such items are preserved in the national archives to deepen historical understanding. Advocacy group files lawsuit against Justice Department and FBI seeking Epstein case records The missing page was part of a larger collection of Cortés documents. In 1993, while microfilming the archive’s holdings, staff discovered that 15 manuscript pages had vanished, most likely stolen between 1985 and 1993. Mexico formally sought FBI assistance last year in recovering one of the pages. After narrowing their search to the United States, investigators located the page — though the FBI did not reveal who possessed it. The recovery involved cooperation between the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Mexico’s government. This is the second time the FBI has returned a Cortés artifact to Mexico. In 2023, the bureau repatriated a 16th-century letter written by the Spanish conqueror. Mexican officials hailed the return as a significant victory in the fight against cultural heritage theft, stressing the importance of safeguarding historical documents that shed light on the country’s colonial past.   Source: Agency

A 30-year-old man opened fire with a long gun at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, firing over 180 rounds in protest against COVID-19 vaccines, officials said Tuesday. Patrick Joseph White broke into a locked gun safe at his parents’ home in Kennesaw, Georgia, to access his father’s firearms before carrying out the attack, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Director Chris Hosey said. Documents recovered from his home revealed his strong opposition to COVID-19 vaccines. White had written about wanting to make the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine. Authorities said White recently expressed suicidal thoughts, prompting law enforcement to intervene weeks before the shooting. White died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing a responding police officer. FBI Atlanta Special Agent Paul Brown said there has been no notable rise in threats based on misinformation about the CDC and vaccines but confirmed that authorities monitor such rhetoric closely. EU urges Trump to protect European security in upcoming talks with Putin White had no prior criminal record, and his family is cooperating fully with investigators. Searches of his home yielded written materials and electronic devices undergoing forensic analysis. Before opening fire at the CDC, White was stopped by security guards and then drove to a nearby pharmacy where he began shooting. The attack shattered blast-resistant windows and forced employees to take cover. Investigators recovered more than 500 shell casings at the scene. Following the incident, CDC officials are reviewing campus security and remain alert to new threats. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously criticized COVID-19 vaccines, visited the CDC campus Monday to support staff and met the slain officer’s family.