United News of Bangladesh

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has instructed U.S. officials to reopen Venezuela’s commercial airspace, a major step toward easing travel restrictions and potentially allowing American citizens to visit the South American country again. Trump said he informed Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez of the decision and directed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and top military leaders to implement the reopening by the end of the day. Speaking from the White House, Trump told reporters that “American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” signalling a shift in U.S. policy after years of diplomatic rupture. Venezuela’s government had not immediately responded to the announcement. Earlier this week, the Trump administration notified Congress of initial steps to possibly reopen the long‑closed U.S. Embassy in Caracas, part of efforts to restore diplomatic ties following a controversial U.S. military operation that ousted former President Nicolás Maduro. The State Department said in letters dated Monday that it plans a phased approach to gradually resume embassy operations with a growing number of temporary staff conducting select diplomatic functions. Diplomatic relations between Washington and Caracas collapsed in 2019, as the U.S. government raised its travel advisory for Venezuela to the highest “Do not travel” level, citing risks of wrongful detention, torture and kidnapping for U.S. citizens. The State Department still maintains that warning, and has not confirmed any changes in its advisory despite Trump’s airspace announcement. In November, Trump had escalated tensions by declaring that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered closed, prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to alert pilots about increased military activity in the region and leading major airlines to cancel flights. The move to reopen Venezuelan airspace comes as American carriers eye resuming services that have been suspended for years, marking a potential revival in commercial links between the two nations.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that British citizens will be able to travel to China without a visa for trips under 30 days, marking a significant step to strengthen bilateral ties and business opportunities. Starmer made the announcement during his official visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The talks, which lasted one hour and 20 minutes, resulted in a series of agreements aimed at expanding trade, investment, and cooperation between the two countries. Under the new arrangement, UK citizens visiting China for tourism or business for less than a month will no longer require a visa, bringing Britain in line with countries such as France, Germany, Australia, and Japan. Meanwhile, UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca pledged to invest $15 billion (£10.9 billion) in China by 2030, including expanding manufacturing sites and creating new jobs. Starmer described the visit as a “springboard” for future engagement, stressing that economic growth at home is linked to stronger international ties. He highlighted the importance of broader engagement with China to build a “sophisticated relationship” and pursue shared goals while recognising differences. The agreements also include cooperation in areas such as trade in services, technical education, food safety, and health, though some deals remain largely symbolic with limited immediate economic impact. Opposition politicians criticised the visit, urging Starmer to press China on human rights issues, including the case of jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai. China, meanwhile, presented the visit as prestigious for domestic audiences, with state media extensively covering Starmer’s meetings with Xi and highlighting the strategic importance of UK-China relations.   With inputs from BBC

US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Iran that “time is running out” to negotiate a nuclear deal, amid a significant buildup of American military forces in the Gulf. Trump described a “massive armada” moving rapidly with “great power, enthusiasm, and purpose” toward Iran, signaling Washington’s readiness to act if necessary. The fleet is led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, supported by destroyers, combat ships, and aerial assets deployed across Jordan, Qatar, and the Indian Ocean. Satellite imagery and open-source tracking confirm fighter jets, drones, refueling aircraft, and surveillance planes have also been stationed near Iranian airspace. Responding to Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that Tehran is prepared to respond “immediately and powerfully” to any aggression and reaffirmed that Iran’s nuclear program remains purely peaceful. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said no formal negotiations with the US are currently underway despite “exchanges of messages.” Trump’s warnings follow earlier US commitments to intervene after the crackdown on protests in Iran, which began after the national currency plunged but escalated into a broader challenge to the clerical regime. Rights groups report thousands of deaths since the unrest began in late December, with figures ranging from 6,000 to potentially more than 25,000. Trump called on Iran to “come to the table” for a fair deal prohibiting nuclear weapons, while US officials stress Tehran must also limit its missile program and support for regional proxies. Iranian officials reiterated that any deal must be free from coercion, threats, or intimidation and preserve the country’s right to peaceful nuclear technology. The US last targeted Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 during Tehran’s brief conflict with Israel, an operation Washington said set back its nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, Iran has deployed its drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri near its coast, signaling readiness to counter any potential US action.   With inputs from BBC

The leaders of Britain and China on Thursday called for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries amid increasing global uncertainty. Neither leader made a public reference to Donald Trump, though the U.S. president’s challenges to the post-Cold War global order appeared to factor into their discussions. “I think that working together on issues like climate change, global stability during challenging times for the world is precisely what we should be doing as we build this relationship in the way that I’ve described,” Starmer said in his opening remarks to Xi. The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing as both nations seek to repair relations following several years of strain. Tensions have grown over allegations of Chinese espionage in Britain, China’s backing of Russia in the Ukraine war, and Beijing’s crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, the former British colony returned to China in 1997. Starmer is the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years. Chinese President Xi Jinping said past setbacks in China-U.K. relations had not served the interests of either nation and called for closer cooperation amid global uncertainty. “China-U.K. relations experienced setbacks in previous years, which was not in the interests of either country,” Xi said, adding that “in the current complex and ever-changing international situation, China and the U.K. need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation to maintain world peace and stability.” Read More: China reaffirms support for Bangladesh’s democratic transition Xi appeared to acknowledge criticism faced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over engagement with China despite national security and human rights concerns, including Britain’s recent approval of plans for a large Chinese Embassy in London. “Good things often come with difficulties,” Xi said. Starmer, who took office in July 2024, said Britain would safeguard national security while maintaining dialogue and economic cooperation, telling Xi it had “been far too long” since a British prime minister visited China. More than 50 senior business leaders joined Starmer on the trip as Britain seeks to expand trade and investment ties.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at strengthening trade and investment ties, marking the first visit by a British premier to China since 2018. Accompanied by around 60 business and cultural leaders, Starmer is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, as well as engage with officials in Shanghai on commercial and investment opportunities. The trip will conclude with a visit to Japan to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Speaking on the flight to Beijing, Starmer said the trip would deliver benefits “back at home” and stressed the need for a “comprehensive and consistent approach to China.” On human rights concerns, he said issues would be raised where necessary but declined to provide specifics. Starmer’s visit comes amid heightened trade tensions between China and the United States, with Washington having threatened punitive tariffs on countries pursuing new trade agreements with Beijing. The prime minister stressed that the UK would maintain close relations with the US while also engaging with China, saying it would be “unwise” to ignore the Asian giant. Security remains a priority for the UK delegation. Members are using disposable phones and temporary email addresses, leaving modern devices behind due to concerns about surveillance, while officials emphasize vigilance regarding potential risks from China. Economically, the UK and China remain heavily imbalanced, with China’s $20 trillion economy far outstripping the UK’s $4 trillion GDP. However, UK exports to China rose 6.4% to £22.6 billion ($29.3 billion) between 2024 and 2025, with growth led by machinery, pharmaceuticals, and high-tech goods. Services, tourism, and finance sectors are also showing recovery, highlighting renewed opportunities for British businesses. Observers say the trip carries both economic and symbolic significance. China sees the UK as a stable partner amid US policy unpredictability, while Starmer seeks to signal that Britain will engage pragmatically with global powers without compromising security or values. The visit also follows recent trade agreements China struck with Canada, demonstrating Beijing’s interest in expanding partnerships with Western nations despite friction with Washington. Analysts note that while opportunities are significant, Starmer faces a delicate diplomatic balance between economic interests, human rights, and maintaining strong ties with the United States.   With inputs from BBC

The European Union is seeking new trade partnerships worldwide as it aims to reduce dependence on the United States and strengthen its global influence. The EU recently signed a free trade agreement with India, part of a series of deals with countries including Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and South America’s Mercosur nations. The agreement with India, signed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in New Delhi, could impact up to 2 billion people. It will remove tariffs on nearly 97% of EU exports to India, such as cars and wine, and 99% of Indian exports to the EU, including textiles and medicines. Observers say the deal strengthens ties between Brussels and New Delhi amid rising concerns over China and uncertainty in trans-Atlantic relations. “The international order we relied upon for decades is no longer certain,” said Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, highlighting the EU’s push for a more autonomous and globally open union. The EU has also pursued trade deals with Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and is negotiating with the United Arab Emirates. A deal with the Mercosur nations was finalized recently, creating a free trade market of over 700 million people despite some opposition in the European Parliament. Beyond trade, the EU is investing in its defense industry and infrastructure, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and past criticism from the Trump administration over low European defense spending. The bloc has allocated 150 billion euros for projects including missile defense, drones, artillery, cyber systems, and artificial intelligence. Experts note that Europe’s goal is to build strategic autonomy and reduce reliance on U.S. military support. Energy independence is another priority. The EU has increased U.S. energy imports while seeking alternative suppliers in the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf. Officials stress the need to diversify sources to avoid replacing one dependency with another. Analysts say these moves show the EU’s effort to strengthen its global position and manage relations with China, Russia, and the U.S., ensuring both economic and strategic resilience.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region as an act of “terrorism,” after local authorities reported at least five deaths and several injuries. Officials said more than 200 passengers were aboard the train when a drone struck one of the carriages on Tuesday, while two other drones exploded nearby. Zelensky said 18 people were inside the affected carriage at the time and stressed there was no “military justification” for targeting civilians. Russia has not commented on the incident. However, it has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure amid one of the harshest winters in recent years. In a separate incident, dozens of drones targeted the southern port city of Odesa, killing three people and injuring many others, officials said. Energy authorities reported that a local facility sustained “enormous damage” overnight into Tuesday, while Odesa city chief Serhii Lysak said the attacks continued for a second consecutive night into Wednesday. Meanwhile, police in the Kyiv region said a couple were killed and their four-year-old child was injured after a residential apartment block was struck in a district near the capital. Read More: Ukraine condemns Russian strikes amid peace talks Russian attacks have left millions of people across Ukraine without heating, electricity and water, according to officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Moscow now controlling about 20 percent of the country’s territory. In a social media post late Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be considered in exactly the same way – purely as terrorism.” Images released by Ukraine’s emergency services showed a badly damaged carriage still on fire after the attack. Kharkiv regional prosecutors said the train was hit near Yazykove village while travelling from Chop to Barvinkove via Kharkiv, a route used by civilians and soldiers. In Odesa, officials said more than 50 drones were launched overnight, killing three people. Despite recent Ukraine-Russia talks in the UAE involving US mediators, key territorial issues remain unresolved.   With inputs from BBC

US President Donald Trump has announced a sharp increase in tariffs on imports from South Korea, raising levies to 25 percent after accusing Seoul of failing to honour a trade agreement reached last year. In a post on social media, Trump said the higher tariffs would replace the existing 15 percent duties and apply to a wide range of products, including automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals and other goods covered under what he described as reciprocal tariffs. Trump claimed South Korean lawmakers had been slow to approve the deal, while the United States had moved quickly to reduce its own tariffs in line with the agreement. South Korea said it had not received formal notification from Washington about the decision and called for urgent consultations. The country’s industry ministry said Trade and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, currently in Canada, would travel to Washington as soon as possible to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The tariff dispute comes despite a bilateral agreement reached in October, under which South Korea pledged to invest 350 billion dollars in the United States, with part of the funds earmarked for shipbuilding. The following month, both sides agreed that Washington would lower tariffs on certain products once Seoul began the approval process. The agreement was submitted to South Korea’s National Assembly on November 26 and is currently under review. Local media have reported it is likely to be approved in February. Tariffs are paid by importing companies, meaning US firms will now face a 25 percent tax on goods purchased from South Korea. Trump has repeatedly used tariffs as a foreign policy tool during his second term. Over the weekend, he warned Canada of possible 100 percent tariffs if it pursued a trade deal with China. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney later said Ottawa was not seeking such an agreement and had conveyed its position clearly to Washington. Earlier, Trump had also threatened import taxes on several countries, including the UK, over opposition to US plans involving Greenland, though he later withdrew the threat, citing progress toward a future deal.   With inputs from BBC

Sir Mark Tully, the BBC’s renowned correspondent often hailed as the “voice of India,” and a veteran journalist who reported on key events across South Asia including the liberation of Bangladesh  has passed away at the age of 90. Tully’s distinctive and warm voice became familiar to millions of BBC listeners in Britain and around the world. Over decades, he covered some of the region’s most defining events, from war and famine to riots and political upheavals, including the Bhopal gas disaster, the storming of the Sikh Golden Temple, and Bangladesh’s struggle for independence in 1971. He also witnessed moments of extreme danger, such as in Ayodhya in 1992, when a crowd of Hindu hardliners demolished an ancient mosque. Trapped and threatened by the mob chanting “Death to Mark Tully,” he was locked in a room for hours before being rescued by local officials and a Hindu priest. Reflecting years later, he described the incident as the “gravest setback” to secularism in India since independence. Read More: At least 61 dead as heavy snowfall, rain lash Afghanistan  Born in 1935 in Calcutta, Tully grew up during the British Raj. His father was a businessman, and his mother hailed from Bengal, where her family had been traders and administrators for generations. He learned Hindi fluently, a rare achievement among foreign correspondents at the time, earning him the nickname “Tully sahib” and the trust of Indian politicians, editors, and social activists alike. Despite being British, he considered India his home, living there for over three-quarters of his life and embracing its culture and traditions. After studying history and theology at Cambridge, Tully initially planned to join the clergy but later joined the BBC in 1965. Starting as an administrative assistant, he quickly moved into reporting, bringing insight, empathy, and a unique storytelling style to his broadcasts. Known for his commitment to secularism and tolerance, he often highlighted India’s social and religious diversity, speaking out against majoritarianism and advocating for the protection of minority rights. Tully’s career was marked by bold reporting across India and neighboring countries. He was expelled during the 1975 emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi but returned 18 months later. He served more than 20 years as the BBC’s Delhi bureau chief, covering South Asia’s political transformations, including Bangladesh’s independence, military rule in Pakistan, the Tamil Tigers’ insurgency in Sri Lanka, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1993, Tully publicly criticized the BBC’s leadership, citing a culture of “fear” under then-director general John Birt, and resigned the following year. He continued broadcasting on BBC Radio 4’s Something Understood, focusing on issues of faith and spirituality, and authored numerous books and essays about India, often collaborating with his partner, Gillian Wright. Tully was recognized for his contributions by both India and Britain. He received India’s Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, while Britain knighted him in 2002 for services to journalism. Later in life, he also became an Overseas Citizen of India, describing himself as “a citizen of the two countries I feel I belong to, India and Britain.” Mark Tully’s legacy endures through decades of reporting that brought South Asia’s stories, struggles, and triumphs to global audiences, including the historic birth of Bangladesh. Source: BBC

Growing tensions over US President Donald Trump’s plans to take control of Greenland are straining relations between the MAGA movement and Europe’s far-right parties, exposing divisions over foreign intervention and national sovereignty. Far-right leaders in Germany, Italy and France have openly criticised Trump’s stance on Greenland. Even Nigel Farage, a long-time Trump ally and leader of Britain’s Reform UK party, described the move as “a very hostile act.” During a debate in the European Parliament this week, far-right lawmakers who usually align with Trump largely backed suspending an EU-US trade pact, citing concerns over what they called “coercion” and “threats to sovereignty.” The rift has surprised some observers, given the strong ideological alignment between Trump and Europe’s nationalist parties. In 2024, far-right groups surged across the European Union and now hold about 26 percent of seats in the European Parliament, according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Less than a year ago, many of these parties gathered in Madrid under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again” to celebrate Trump’s election. However, Trump’s foreign policy moves on Greenland, Venezuela and Iran have forced European allies to balance ideological affinity with concerns over sovereignty. Read More: Greenland, tariffs and Trump dominate Davos talks France’s National Rally, which has praised Trump’s nationalist views, has recently shifted tone. Party president Jordan Bardella criticised US actions in Venezuela as “foreign interference” and denounced Trump’s “commercial blackmail” over Greenland, warning, “Our subjugation would be a historic mistake.” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed the criticism, saying Trump’s tariff threats linked to Greenland were “a mistake.” In contrast, some eastern European leaders have avoided confrontation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán defended Trump, calling Greenland an internal NATO issue, while leaders in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have largely refrained from criticism. Analysts say the episode highlights growing fault lines within the trans-Atlantic far right and raises questions about whether shared ideology can withstand disputes over national sovereignty.