United News of Bangladesh

Leaders from the Group of 20 countries will meet for a summit in South Africa this weekend without any U.S. representatives after President Donald Trump announced a boycott over his widely rejected claims that the host country is persecuting its Afrikaner white minority. Trump's decision to pull the United States — and himself — out of the talks in Johannesburg is likely to undermine the first G20 leaders' meeting in Africa, as well as South Africa's aim to push for progress on issues affecting poor countries, such as the impact of climate change, the cost of green energy transition and spiraling sovereign debt levels. Chinese leader Xi Jinping also won't attend as he cuts back on international travel, meaning the heads of the world's two biggest economies will skip a meeting meant to bring developed and developing countries together to tackle pressing global issues. A bridge between rich and developing nations The G20 is a group of 19 countries that includes the richest but also the top developing economies in the world. The European Union and the African Union, which joined in 2023, are also members, making it now a group of 21. It was formed in 1999 and unlike the Group of Seven, which only includes the richest democracies, it offers some developing countries a forum to raise their problems. Its focus is the global economy and international development, though it has no charter or permanent secretariat — unlike organizations such as the United Nations. It also doesn't issue binding decisions and critics say there's no meaningful mechanism for it to put words into action. The G20 often struggles to reach real consensus because of the different interests of the big powers like the U.S., China and Russia, as well as those of Western European nations. The leaders of the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund typically attend G20 summits as guests. The US boycott Trump has claimed that white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa are being killed and that their land is being seized, calling it a disgrace that South Africa is hosting the summit and saying it should be thrown out of the G20. The South African government and others, including some Afrikaners themselves, have rejected Trump's claims of racial persecution as misinformation. South Africa has been a target for Trump since he returned to office at the start of the year, with his administration casting the country as anti-American because of its diplomatic ties with China, Russia and Iran. The U.S. will take over the rotating presidency of the G20 from South Africa and while the world's biggest economy will boycott the talks, a representative from the U.S. Embassy in South Africa will attend a formal handover ceremony at the end of the summit, a White House official said. The main issues The country holding the G20 presidency gets to set the agenda for the annual summit. South Africa wants climate change and disaster relief, financing green energy transition, easing debt levels for poor countries and addressing global inequality to be priorities for the two-day meeting. It says climatic disasters such as drought, floods and cyclones are having a devastating effect on countries that cannot afford to rebuild and is calling for more help from the global community. South Africa has proposed that G20 leaders set up an independent international panel on global wealth inequality, similar to the U.N.-appointed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That followed a report commissioned by South Africa for the summit and led by Nobel Prize-winning American economist Joseph Stiglitz that concluded the world is facing an "inequality emergency." G20 summits have traditionally attracted protests, and a counter summit was organized this week in another part of Johannesburg by groups critical of the G20 and what they called “a global economic system rigged in favor of elites and billionaires.” The summit also is an opportunity for closed-door bilateral meetings. New trade deals are likely to figure in the discussions in the wake of the Trump administration's tariffs that have impacted the global economy. Absent leaders Trump and Xi are the highest profile absentees, although China has sent a government delegation led by Premier Li Qiang. Russian President Vladimir Putin also is not attending but Russia will be represented by a low-level delegation led by Maxim Oreshkin, deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential executive office. Putin faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over Russia’s war in Ukraine that obliges South Africa, a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the court, to arrest him if he sets foot on its territory. Argentina's President Javier Milei is also to skip the summit in solidarity with his ally Trump. “If you boycott an event or a process, you are the greatest loser because the show will go on,” Ramaphosa said of Trump's decision not to attend. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer say they will attend the summit.

A fire briefly spread through pavilions being used for U.N. climate talks in Brazil and prompted evacuations Thursday on the next-to-last day of the conference, and officials said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. Organizers said the fire was controlled in about six minutes. Fire officials ordered the evacuation of the entire site for the conference, known as COP30, and it wasn't clear when the talks would resume. Brazil’s Tourism Minister Celso Sabino told journalists at the scene that the fire started near the China Pavilion, which was among several pavilions set up for events on the sidelines of the climate talks. The fire quickly spread to neighboring pavilions, said Samuel Rubin, one of the people in charge of an entertainment and culture pavilion. He said nearby pavilions include many of the Africa pavilions and one aimed at youth. Video showed huge flames in one of the pavilions, which are reinforced canvas or fabric structures that typically have three walls and a floor. Para state Gov. Helder Barbalho told local news outlet G1 that a generator failure or a short circuit in a booth may have started the fire.

The COP30 UN climate talks in Belém were evacuated on Wednesday after a fire broke out inside the main venue, sending hundreds of delegates outdoors in intense heat and humidity. BBC reporters saw flames and smoke rising from a pavilion area before emergency teams moved people outside and fire engines rushed in. A section of the venue’s outer covering was burned through as orange flames spread, and video footage showed a man trying to put out the fire with an extinguisher before running away. The Brazilian government said the fire has been brought under control and no injuries have been reported so far. The cause is still unknown, though one eyewitness told the BBC he believed it started from an electrical fault. Delegates were seen sitting on the ground and on plastic chairs outside the former aerodrome that hosts the summit. A woman was taken away in a wheelchair, but it remains unclear if her condition was linked to the fire. Members of several country delegations had to take shelter under the roof of a nearby petrol station. A UK delegate told the BBC that the fire halted ongoing negotiations. The UN said firefighters are inspecting the venue to assess safety and that Brazilian authorities have temporarily taken charge of the site. Thousands of participants from nearly 200 countries are attending COP30 to negotiate progress on global climate action. The UN has been asked for more details about the cause of the fire and any possible impact on the summit’s schedule.   Source: BBC

European leaders on Thursday emphasized that Ukraine and European countries must be consulted on any efforts to end Russia’s invasion, amid reports of a proposed U.S.-Russia peace plan that could require major concessions from Kyiv. The plan, first reported by Axios, reportedly includes granting Russia control over parts of eastern Ukraine, rolling back some U.S. military assistance, and other territorial concessions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected ceding territory. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “For any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board.” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the stance, stressing that all ceasefire and peace negotiations must involve Ukraine and Europe. U.S. officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, visited Kyiv Thursday to advance diplomatic efforts, while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller highlighted President Trump’s goal to achieve peace in Europe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no formal consultations with the U.S. are currently underway. European diplomats have expressed concern over being excluded from peace talks and criticized Russia for continuing attacks on civilian infrastructure. Kallas condemned the recent strike on Ternopil that killed 26 people, saying Moscow could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire earlier. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski underscored Europe’s role, stating that as the main supporter of Ukraine, it expects to be fully consulted on any peace efforts.  

Pakistani troops stormed two Pakistani Taliban hideouts in the country’s northwest near the Afghan frontier, sparking heavy gun battles that resulted in the deaths of 23 militants, the military announced Thursday. The statement provided no information regarding any military casualties. The operations were carried out Wednesday in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and followed earlier raids this week across the northwest that the army says left 38 militants dead. The military referred to the militants killed as “Khawarij,” a term used by Pakistani authorities for fighters they claim receive support from Afghanistan and India — including members of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Kabul and New Delhi reject these allegations. The TTP, while distinct from Afghanistan’s Taliban, maintains close ties with the group and has grown more assertive since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Many of the group’s leaders and members are believed to be based in safe havens across the Afghan border, contributing to rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to curb TTP activities. A ceasefire between the two countries has been mostly intact since October 19, when Qatar mediated a truce after both sides exchanged fire at border checkpoints. The flare-up began when Afghanistan accused Pakistan of launching drone strikes in Kabul on October 9 that killed several people. Border crossings between the two nations have remained closed since last month.  

Haiti spent nearly two tense hours in collective anticipation as the nation’s hardships momentarily slipped from view with the prospect of returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974. For a brief moment, the ongoing violence, hunger, and displacement were overshadowed when Louicius Deedson struck in the ninth minute against Nicaragua on Tuesday, followed by a Ruben Providence header just before the break. The 2-0 victory secured Haiti only its second World Cup appearance in history. Shouts in Haitian Creole of “Grenadye, alaso!” filled the country's streets, homes and makeshift shelters as fans urged their team, the Grenadiers, to attack. Haiti didn’t just need a win over Nicaragua; it wanted to prove that despite the multiple crises weighing the country down, it could still pull through and hold its head high like it has throughout its troubled history. “It means more than just a win. It is hope, it is unity at a time when the country faces so many challenges,” said Pierre Jean-Jacques, a 25-year-old mechanic who watched the game at home. “I was fully focused. My heart was racing.” After the match, he joined thousands of fans who bounced late into the night through streets normally empty at that hour out of fear of being killed or kidnapped. “This victory brings a moment of joy,” he said. “I’m proud. I believe we can rise together.” Tuesday night's win coincided with the 222nd anniversary of the historic Battle of Vertières, which helped Haiti become the world’s first Black republic. “They couldn’t have chosen a better date for our warriors to go to the World Cup,” said Vladimir Dorvale, 18, who had a small Haitian flag tied around his neck and was walking briskly to a friend's house to talk about the game. But the odds were against Haiti, where euphoria remained high on Wednesday. The team played all their home games in the tiny Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao because it was too dangerous to do so in Haiti, where armed gangs control up to 90% of its capital, Port-au-Prince. Their coach, Sébastien Migné, told France Football magazine that he remotely managed certain players who were in Haiti. He couldn't fly to the country where gang violence has shut down the main international airport several times. When Deedson knocked the first ball in, gunfire erupted in André Michaud's neighborhood, startling the 23-year-old student who watched the game at a bar near his house because it had a generator and the power was out again. “I didn’t know if the gangs had invaded,” he said, adding that he settled down after realizing it was celebratory. “All my life, I’ve been supporting other teams in the World Cup: Brazil, Argentina,” he said. “Now, I can finally support my country. I'm hopeful that Haiti can go far." Shortly after the victory, a joyful crowd marched through the narrow streets of one neighborhood under the rain, playing music and chanting, “Haiti has qualified! We don’t have a state!” in reference to the deep political instability rocking Haiti. Thousands of other fans danced through the streets of Pétionville late into the night. When gunfire erupted briefly during the celebration, the crowd raised its hands and cheered. Such noise normally scatters people in a country where more than 4,300 were killed from January to September. “I hope you guys are going to enjoy it. It’s not finished. It’s just the start,” forward Duckens Nazon said after the game in a video posted online. “There are many people who didn’t believe in us, but us, we believe in us.”

A 12-year-old diagnosed with lupus found himself soaring through the air on a high-ropes course at a New York sleepaway camp — something his family once thought he could never safely experience. Dylan Aristy Mota took part in the camp after doctors assured his mother that medical staff would be present throughout the program. The setup gave him a rare chance to enjoy a normal childhood experience without fear. “It’s really fun,” Dylan said. He added that knowing doctors were nearby gave him peace of mind: “If anything else pops up, they can catch it faster than if we had to wait til we got home.” Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, myositis and certain forms of arthritis — in which the immune system attacks the body instead of protecting it — are typically associated with adults. But specialists say children can develop them too, though cases are less common than Type 1 diabetes. “People often ask, ‘Can kids have arthritis? Can kids have lupus?’” said Dr Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, which partnered with Frost Valley YMCA to help young patients attend a traditional summer camp despite strict medication schedules and parents’ anxieties. “Imagine for an adult, it’s difficult. If you have that disease since you’re young, it’s very difficult to, you know, cope with,” she said. The illnesses can be especially severe when they strike before puberty, and strong genetic factors are often involved. While environmental stresses like infections can trigger autoimmune disorders at any age, genes play a larger role when the disease begins early in life, said Dr Laura Lewandowski of the National Institutes of Health. In children, symptoms can be subtle. Some may limp or return to crawling rather than complain about joint pain, Vasquez-Canizares said. Dylan said he had looked “normal” before his symptoms appeared. Then, “my face turned like the bright pink, and it started to like get more and more red,” he said. His family initially thought it was allergies, and he went through multiple appointments before being diagnosed with lupus in January. Treatment is complicated for young patients. Drugs that control inflammation weaken developing immune systems that are still learning to fight infections. Some medicines can also affect bone growth. Researchers are working on better options. Seattle Children’s Hospital recently launched the first clinical trial of CAR-T therapy for pediatric lupus. The treatment reprograms a patient’s own immune cells to destroy harmful B cells. Trials in adults with lupus and other autoimmune diseases have shown early signs of long-term, drug-free remission. Another promising area of study involves preventing a rare but serious fetal heart defect caused by specific antibodies found in lupus, Sjögren’s and other autoimmune diseases. Dr Jill Buyon at NYU Langone Health is testing whether a drug used for another condition can protect babies at risk. The antibody can cross the placenta at a critical stage of heart development and disrupt normal rhythm. Some existing treatments reduce the risk but cannot fully prevent it. Buyon’s team recently reported the healthy birth of a girl to a mother with mild lupus. “This is a rare example where we know the exact point in time at which this is going to happen,” said Dr Philip Carlucci, an NYU rheumatology fellow and study co-author. Kelsey Kim, who previously lost a baby to the condition and had another child who needed a pacemaker, chose the experimental treatment during her latest pregnancy. Her third daughter was born healthy in June after she made weekly trips from northern Virginia to NYU for about three months. Buyon’s team plans a clinical trial to expand access to other high-risk mothers. At the New York camp, the main goal for doctors was to help children feel like kids again after months or years of strict medication routines. “I do kind of get to forget about it,” said 11-year-old Ethan Blanchfield-Killeen, who lives with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a childhood version of rheumatoid arthritis that causes stiff and painful joints. During camp, a doctor checked his hands one day. On another, he ran across the grass covered in paint during a spirited game of paint tag. “Just seeing them in a different perspective almost brings tears to my eyes,” said Vasquez-Canizares.  

A Lebanese government agency says an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 people and injured several others, marking the deadliest attack in Lebanon since the ceasefire that ended last year’s Israel-Hezbollah conflict. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the strike—carried out by a drone—hit a vehicle parked near a mosque in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp outside the coastal city of Sidon. The Health Ministry confirmed the death toll but did not release additional information. Hamas members in the camp blocked journalists from accessing the site, while emergency crews worked to transport the injured and the dead. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas training site used to plan attacks on Israel, adding it would continue operating against Hamas wherever the group is active. Hamas rejected this claim, stating the strike hit a recreational field rather than a training facility. Over the past two years, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed numerous leaders from Hezbollah and Palestinian groups, including Hamas. Among those killed was Saleh Arouri, Hamas’ deputy political chief and a founder of its military wing, who died in a drone strike near Beirut on January 2, 2024. Several other Hamas figures have been targeted since. Hamas carried out the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, triggering Israel’s massive offensive in Gaza, which the Gaza Health Ministry says resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths. One day after the war between Israel and Hamas began, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli positions along the border, prompting Israeli shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon. The exchanges escalated into a full-scale war by late September 2024. That conflict—one of several involving Hezbollah in the last 40 years—left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $11 billion in damage, according to the World Bank. Israel reported 127 deaths, including 80 soldiers. The war concluded in late November 2024 with a ceasefire brokered by the United States. Since then, Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes in Lebanon, saying Hezbollah is attempting to rebuild its military strength. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 270 people have been killed and roughly 850 wounded in Israeli operations since the ceasefire.

Britain’s domestic intelligence agency has issued a fresh warning that Chinese spies are approaching lawmakers and other influential figures through LinkedIn and professional recruiters to build long-term influence networks. House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle informed MPs on Tuesday about a new MI5 “espionage alert” that says Chinese nationals linked to the Ministry of State Security are conducting large-scale outreach using LinkedIn profiles, headhunters and cover firms. Their objective is to gather information and cultivate relationships that could later be exploited, Hoyle said. MI5 raised the alert because the activity is both “targeted and widespread.” The notice identified two women — Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen — as among those allegedly fronting for Chinese intelligence. Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis told MPs that not only parliamentary staff but also economists, think tank researchers and government officials have been targeted. He described the outreach as “a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfere with our sovereign affairs.” U.K. intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned in recent years about espionage risks linked to China, one of Britain’s biggest trading partners. Jarvis said the government is taking new steps, including a £170 million investment to upgrade encrypted systems used by civil servants. Opposition parties argue the response remains too cautious due to concerns over damaging economic ties with Beijing. Spy case collapse draws scrutiny The warning follows widespread criticism over the collapse of a high-profile prosecution involving two men accused of spying for China. Academic Christopher Berry and parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash had been charged with providing sensitive information between 2021 and 2023 but saw their case dropped in September. Prosecutors said the trial could not proceed because the government declined to testify under oath about whether China constituted a national security threat at the time. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected accusations that ministers interfered. MI5 previously raised an alert in 2022 accusing London-based lawyer Christine Lee of engaging in political interference activities in coordination with the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, including facilitating covert donations to British politicians. MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum recently warned that Chinese state-linked actors pose a daily threat to U.K. security through cyberespionage, technology theft and “covert efforts to interfere in public life.”  

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most divisive topics at the U.N. climate talks in Brazil, with tech companies praising its potential to tackle global warming while climate groups warn that its growing energy use is adding new environmental risks. At COP30, several countries and major firms highlighted how AI could improve electric grid efficiency, forecast weather for farmers, track deep-sea species and help design infrastructure able to withstand extreme climate impacts. They argue the technology can accelerate climate solutions at a critical moment. Environmental advocates, however, say the rapid growth of AI — and the electricity and water demands of its data centers — could undermine global emission targets. “AI right now is a completely unregulated beast,” said Jean Su of the Center for Biological Diversity, warning that the world risks drifting further from the 2015 Paris Agreement goals. Tech officials maintain that AI is already delivering climate benefits. Adam Elman, Google’s sustainability director, called AI “a real enabler,” while acknowledging the need for responsible use. Demand for AI tools has surged at the summit, with Michal Nachmany of Climate Policy Radar saying interest is “unbelievable” but accompanied by widespread concern. AI’s prominence at COP30 marks a shift from previous summits. Nitin Arora of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change said the body’s Global Innovation Hub, launched at COP26, has been flooded with AI-focused proposals. The Associated Press counted at least 24 AI-related events during the first week, ranging from tools to help cities exchange energy to forest crime prediction systems. The summit also presented its first AI for Climate Action Award to a project addressing water scarcity in Laos. Delegates from several countries are testing AI systems to navigate the complexities of climate negotiations. German data scientist Johannes Jacob introduced an app prototype, NegotiateCOP, designed to help small delegations process hundreds of official documents and “level the playing field.” Tech-sector representatives at COP30 insist AI can speed up solutions in energy and sustainability. Nvidia’s head of sustainability, Josh Parker, described AI as “the best resource any of us can have,” arguing that nearly every climate challenge could be solved faster with more intelligence. Leaders from Burkina Faso and the European Commission said AI is a powerful but risky tool that requires careful oversight. The environmental impact of AI continues to fuel concerns. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers accounted for about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, with demand growing around 12% per year since 2017 — far outpacing overall electricity use. Su warned that water-intensive data centers in drought-prone regions and increasing emissions linked to AI operations could threaten national climate commitments. Environmental groups at COP30 are pushing for regulations such as mandatory public-interest reviews for new data centers and requirements for full on-site renewable energy. “COP can’t treat AI as just a techno solution,” Su said. “It has to understand the deep climate consequences.”