United News of Bangladesh

Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv and around a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, killing at least 21 civilians, including four children, and injuring around 60, Ukrainian officials said. The attack came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that intelligence indicated Russia was preparing a “massive” strike. Despite anticipating the attack, Ukraine was unable to fully repel the barrage, which coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday. The casualties and destruction highlighted Ukraine’s difficulties in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles and newly deployed jet-powered drones amid Moscow’s increasingly intense aerial campaign. Ukraine has been facing shortages of ammunition for its US-made Patriot air defense systems, limiting its ability to counter Russian ballistic weapons. Kyiv is also racing to develop a new generation of interceptors capable of engaging Russia’s high-speed, jet-powered drones. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a sustained long-range air war while their ground forces remain largely deadlocked, more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the latest attacks, saying Russia was pursuing “a deliberate strategy of terror” aimed at making daily life impossible for Ukrainians seeking peace. A Russian strike destroyed an apartment building in Pryluky in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, killing 15 people, including four children, and injuring around 50, according to local authorities. Deaths were also reported in three other Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Zelenskyy said. “The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” he said in a social media post. In Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, two people were killed and seven others injured, according to Vitalii Diakivnych, head of the regional military administration. A rescue operation was still underway. Diakivnych said the attacks were intended to spread fear among civilians. “That is exactly what the enemy is counting on. For us to be afraid to fall asleep. To let our children out of our sight. To plan anything. So that everyone thinks: next time it could be my address,” he said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces carried out a “massive” overnight strike targeting industrial facilities involved in producing and storing missiles and drones across Ukraine. It also claimed that port and ship-repair facilities in the southern Odesa region, along with vessels carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military, were hit. Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities Ukraine responded by launching long-range drones and missiles against Russian oil refineries and storage facilities, according to Zelenskyy. He said Ukrainian forces targeted two oil facilities and a training ground in Russia’s Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions. Russian officials did not immediately comment on the claims. Zelenskyy also suggested that Ukraine had carried out an attack in the Black Sea, posting images that he said showed an oil tanker on fire near the Russian resort city of Sochi. The images could not be independently verified. Some Russian online media outlets also published the images late Tuesday, while unconfirmed reports said the vessel was carrying oil from Novorossiysk to India and had been attacked by Ukrainian sea drones.

French riot police used tear gas to disperse crowds in Paris and other cities Tuesday as more than 266,000 people joined nationwide demonstrations in support of high school students demanding increased education funding, according to government figures. The protests, which drew 56,000 people in Paris, added to pressure on the administration of outgoing President Emmanuel Macron. As students blockaded schools, demonstrators carrying flags and placards took to the streets in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities. The protests have expanded from a movement that began at a high school in the Paris region in mid-September into a nationwide campaign, becoming the latest in a series of demonstrations during Macron's nearly decade-long tenure. "We need to listen to them," said Léa Monimart, an adult demonstrator in Lille. "They are 17 years old; they are not completely clueless, and they know what they are talking about. It's important to show that there are adults who support them." The Interior Ministry said 266,000 people demonstrated across France Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, where small groups clashed with riot police in a city square following an otherwise largely peaceful march. Nearly 500 people were detained, the ministry said. The arrests, use of tear gas and other riot-control weapons against teenagers have intensified anger among some parents and teachers. Some student groups have called for further protests Thursday. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the police response as proportionate in "almost all cases," saying some demonstrations had descended into riots and required police intervention. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government and school authorities must listen to students' concerns and work toward solutions. Speaking in parliament Tuesday, Lecornu condemned what he called "ultra violence" targeting schools. Addressing criticism of police tactics, he said any "accidents" would be investigated and rejected allegations that police were racist as a "lie." Class boycotts, arrests fuel tensions More than two weeks of class boycotts and school blockades, along with a police crackdown that has resulted in more than 6,500 arrests, most involving minors, have become a major flashpoint during the early stages of the presidential election campaign. University student Felix Barney called the police response disproportionate, saying it does not make "any sense to hit minors." "Riot police, batons, rubber bullets, tear gas," said Aurélien Le Coq, a lawmaker from the far-left France Unbowed party, whose presidential candidate has strongly backed the protests. "The violence is 'absolutely unbearable,'" Le Coq said. Nuñez continued to defend police tactics despite a growing number of serious injuries attributed to riot-control weapons. In the latest incident, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand Monday in an incident involving a police stun grenade. Nuñez said 715 police officers had also been injured. The student protests have gained broad public sympathy amid widespread dissatisfaction in France. Concerns range from soaring fuel prices linked to the Iran war to wider frustrations over limits on public spending, increasing poverty and wealth inequality under Macron, who cannot seek a third consecutive term. Against this backdrop, students' complaints that inadequate education funding is putting their futures at risk have resonated with many people. "You say 'young people are the future,' so listen to them," read a handwritten placard tied to a metal barrier outside a Paris school. Ministry opens portal for student complaints At Hélène Boucher high school in Paris' 20th district, protesters overturned trash cans and bicycles to form a makeshift barricade. The school was among hundreds across France that remained closed. Authorities began closing schools last week in an effort to ease tensions following widespread damage to school property and rising injuries among students, staff and police. According to the Education Ministry, classes were fully or partially suspended at 891 schools Tuesday. Amid criticism that it was failing to address the protesters' concerns, the ministry launched an online portal allowing high school students to anonymously report problems they face at school and suggest changes they want to see.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced Tuesday that the government plans to introduce a wealth tax from Jan. 1, 2027. The tax will be 1 percent on wealth exceeding 1 billion Hungarian forints (3.1 million U.S. dollars) and 1.5 percent on wealth exceeding 100 billion forints (310 million dollars), Magyar said in a Facebook video. It will cover property, investments and company stakes, including assets held abroad or through asset-management structures, he added. Debts will be deductible from the tax base, while property and vehicle taxes can be credited against the liability. The first annual self-assessed payment will be due by Aug. 31, 2027, based on assets held at the end of 2026, Magyar said. The proposed measure will undergo broad public consultation before being adopted.

Former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service August Hanning was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence service, the federal prosecutor’s office said. Hanning, 80, who headed the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage, prosecutors said. He was arrested in Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. A former aide, identified as Manfred D., was also arrested in Steinfurt in western Germany and charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. Federal prosecutor’s office spokesperson Ines Peterson told German broadcaster RTL that Hanning is suspected in one instance of using classified information to prepare an analysis for an employee of a foreign intelligence service. In another case, he allegedly passed on information following an extensive exchange with an employee of another intelligence service. Authorities did not disclose which foreign intelligence services the two men allegedly worked with or which countries were involved. Properties belonging to both suspects were searched Tuesday. Prosecutors said Manfred D. served as Hanning’s chief of staff and later held the same position for several BND presidents between 2012 and 2026. His position gave him access to confidential information. According to prosecutors, the two men allegedly agreed in 2010 that Manfred D. would continuously provide Hanning with valuable BND intelligence in return for payment. Investigators believe Manfred D. supplied Hanning with about 2,000 documents over the years, many of which contained classified information intended solely for internal BND use, particularly executive intelligence briefings. Peterson said Hanning used the information for private consulting work, while Manfred D. continued providing classified material until June 2022. The investigation leading to Tuesday’s arrests emerged from a separate probe into the January 2024 abduction of the children of Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block from their father in Denmark amid a long-running custody dispute. Evidence uncovered during a search of Hanning’s home in connection with that case led to the current proceedings, prosecutors said. Hanning and a retired official of the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office were suspected of accepting a contract from Block in 2022 to abduct her children while working as executives of a security company, German news agency dpa reported, citing prosecutors’ announcement in late 2025. The Block family is prominent in Hamburg and is best known for the nationwide Block House steakhouse chain. The custody dispute has drawn considerable media attention in Germany. A request for comment from the BND was not immediately answered. Konstantin von Notz, a lawmaker from the opposition Greens party and a member of the parliamentary committee overseeing Germany’s intelligence services, called for a swift investigation. He described the allegations against Hanning as “hard-hitting and deeply troubling” and said authorities should conduct a thorough probe. Von Notz also renewed calls for restrictions on former senior officials with high-level security clearances taking up private consulting work after leaving government service.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Saturday demanding affordable housing and greater protection for renters, a day after parliament rejected emergency measures proposed to address the country's housing crisis. Large crowds marched in Madrid, where protesters called for a general strike and affordable housing. In Valencia, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets after demonstrators broke through a security perimeter around the City of Arts and Sciences, where a real estate summit was taking place. Images showed clashes between police and protesters, with officers using batons and demonstrators throwing barriers. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The protests intensified after the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, from her Madrid home of seven decades on Sept. 23. About 1,000 protesters have camped for the past week at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, demanding government action to protect tenants. A similar camp has been set up at Barcelona's Plaza Catalunya. Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was carried from her apartment on a stretcher after police cordoned off the street. Images of the eviction triggered protests across the country. “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,” Abascal said in a video recorded from a hospital bed. The real estate company seeking to evict her so it could rent the property at a higher price later reached an agreement allowing her to return, according to her lawyer. Abascal was “happy,” the lawyer said, although she has not yet been discharged from hospital. The incident has become a symbol of Spain's housing affordability crisis, with protesters carrying signs reading “Not even one more Maricarmen!” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's progressive government had proposed measures to restrict evictions, curb property speculation and give renters indefinite leases. But conservative opposition parties joined forces in parliament on Friday to reject the measures. The defeat has increased pressure on Sánchez, who faces a national election next year, and fueled speculation that he could call an early election to rally left-wing voters around the housing issue. Spain's housing shortage has been worsening for years, particularly affecting young people and low-income households who cannot afford to buy homes and face a limited rental market. Average rents have nearly doubled over the past decade, with the average price rising from 8.20 euros per square meter in 2016 to 15.10 euros this year, according to real estate website Idealista. The government says 26 percent of Spaniards who rent spend an average of 40 percent of their income on rent and utilities, compared with 18 percent across the European Union. Spain also has one of the smallest stocks of government-owned rental housing among OECD countries, accounting for less than 2 percent of available homes, compared with an EU average of 8 percent. Housing protests have periodically taken place in major Spanish cities, with demonstrators blaming property speculation and tourist rental platforms such as Airbnb for driving up rents. The latest demonstrations have given the issue renewed momentum, with protesters saying Maricarmen's case shows the need for stronger tenant protections.

Romanian lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a proposed center-right Cabinet led by designated Prime Minister Siegfried Muresan, prolonging the country’s political crisis and raising the possibility of early elections. The proposed government received 182 votes in favour and 15 against, falling well short of the 233 votes needed for parliamentary approval. Muresan, 45, had proposed a reform-focused government led by his National Liberal Party (PNL), with support from the Save Romania Union (USR) and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR. The political crisis has gripped Romania since May, when Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government was ousted in a no-confidence vote jointly filed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the nationalist Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR). Both parties had said they would not back Muresan’s Cabinet. President Nicusor Dan has warned that early elections would prolong instability and urged political parties to resolve the crisis. Under Romania’s constitution, the president can dissolve Parliament if lawmakers reject two Cabinet proposals within 60 days of the first rejection. The next parliamentary election is scheduled for 2028. The latest political uncertainty comes as Romania, a NATO and EU member, faces security concerns including increased drone incursions linked to Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine. Muresan has said early elections could become necessary if the deadlock continues, arguing that a fresh mandate would be preferable to prolonged political uncertainty. Political consultant Cristian Andrei said the next prime ministerial nomination could potentially shift Romania’s pro-European political orientation toward right-wing populism, depending on which parties form the next government.

Russian forces continued their heavy missile and drone strikes against Kyiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, killing four people—including a child—and damaging power infrastructure alongside a major internet exchange hub. The intensifying aerial attacks since late August have heightened pressure on Ukraine ahead of the upcoming winter, a period during which Moscow frequently targets energy networks to disrupt heating and water supplies. In Vyshhorod, within the broader Kyiv province, a child lost their life when a residential home was destroyed. Emergency workers rescued three people from the debris. Additional strikes in and around the capital claimed three more lives and left at least four others injured. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the barrage specifically targeted energy infrastructure in the capital and surrounding areas, noting that Moscow is attempting to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense capabilities. He urged international partners to expedite air defense supplies, emphasizing that protection must be reinforced ahead of the winter months. To exploit vulnerabilities in Ukrainian defenses, Russia has increasingly deployed ballistic missiles and fast, jet-powered drones. Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat revealed that drone usage has surged, with over 3,170 jet-propelled drones launched in September alone, exceeding August's total of 2,850. Ihnat stressed the urgent need for additional ammunition for U.S.-supplied Patriot systems to intercept incoming ballistic threats. While the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its strikes hit key thermal and hydroelectric power facilities, substations, energy storage sites, and a data center, Ukrainian authorities did not confirm damage to those specific facilities, reporting hits across civilian areas in at least four districts of Kyiv. The escalation comes as diplomatic efforts remain stalled. Ukrainian officials stated Moscow is ignoring U.S. peace initiatives four and a half years after the full-scale invasion began, demanding territorial concessions that Kyiv refuses to accept.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government faced a parliamentary no-confidence vote Tuesday as opposition parties challenged its proposed budget deficit and raised concerns over the billionaire premier’s potential conflict of interest. The opposition called the vote after the government approved a 2027 budget with a projected deficit of 386 billion koruna ($18 billion), which would be the second-largest in the country’s history. The deficit for this year is expected to reach 310 billion koruna. Opposition parties and most economists have criticized the proposed shortfall, particularly as the Czech economy is projected to grow 2.7% next year, according to the Czech central bank. The government has defended the spending plan, saying higher borrowing is needed to increase investment and finance priorities including health care, pensions and higher salaries for public-sector workers. Babiš, one of the Czech Republic’s wealthiest citizens, has also faced continued scrutiny over potential conflicts between his business interests and his political position. After his ANO (YES) movement won October’s parliamentary election, Babiš transferred around 200 companies belonging to his Agrofert conglomerate to an independent trust fund in an effort to comply with conflict-of-interest legislation. Failure to address the issue could have prevented his businesses from receiving state and European Union subsidies. His investment in the health care sector was not covered by the transfer. Earlier this month, however, the European Commission said the trust arrangement did not adequately resolve the conflict-of-interest concerns, maintaining that Babiš remained in a potential conflict and suspending some payments to Agrofert. Opposition parties have also accused Babiš of attacking independent courts, judges and the media. His government is backed by a coalition that includes two smaller political groups advocating reduced support for Ukraine and opposing some major European Union policies.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday pledged sweeping reforms to create what he called “a new social contract for the 21st century,” while warning that economic constraints would force his government to make difficult choices. Addressing the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Burnham promised more social housing, improved education and a free-to-use national care service funded through taxation. He said Labour would weaken the pensions triple lock to help finance the care service, acknowledging that the move could carry a political cost. “I accept I may pay a political price,” Burnham said. “But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.” Burnham also pledged to replace Britain’s winner-takes-all electoral system with a form of proportional representation and to reset the country’s relationship with the European Union, saying Brexit “has done more harm than good.” His wider agenda includes ending street homelessness, reducing youth unemployment and increasing public control over privatized utilities. Burnham criticized the economic policies of the 1980s, including deregulation and privatization under former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, saying they had left Britain facing economic and political turmoil. But he acknowledged the difficult economic backdrop, with the US-Iran war disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up oil prices, inflation and government borrowing costs. Diesel prices in Britain reached a record of just under 2 pounds ($2.70) per litre on Monday, according to the Royal Automobile Club. Burnham said his government would stick to its fiscal rules to reduce borrowing and debt. “I would love to go quicker, but I have to be honest about what the country can afford,” he said. Security concerns have also overshadowed the conference after five men were arrested Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences outside RAF Fairford in western England. They were released on bail Monday as police investigate, including a possible link to a hostile state. The next general election does not have to be held until 2029, though Labour’s improving fortunes have prompted speculation about an early vote. Burnham has ruled out a snap election. Politics professor John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde said Burnham’s popularity had given Labour “a halo effect from a popular leader,” but the party needed to make further progress before considering an election.

Spain's government on Tuesday unveiled emergency housing measures following days of protests over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, as rising rents and a housing shortage fuel public anger. The coalition led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialists announced the measures after four days of protests and an encampment at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, triggered by the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, known as “Maricarmen,” who had lived in her apartment for seven decades. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said the decree would extend eviction protections for vulnerable people until 2030, regulate room rentals, introduce a tax on seasonal rentals and ban “speculative real estate purchases by vulture funds” until 2028. It would also provide tax breaks to landlords renting to low-income tenants, interest-free loans to first-time homebuyers, and protection for public housing. The decree must be ratified by parliament within 30 days. The government has 152 of the 350 seats and needs support from smaller parties to secure approval. The Madrid Tenants' Union, which organised the protests, said it would study the details before deciding whether the measures meet its demands. Smaller encampments have also appeared in several other Spanish cities. Meanwhile, Abascal may be able to return to her home after reaching a preliminary agreement with the building's owner. Her lawyer said the proposed deal would cap her rent at 30% of her income, or no more than the 500 euros ($570) she previously paid. The property changed ownership in 2018. An investment fund later raised Abascal's rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros and subsequently reduced it to 1,650 euros, which she still could not afford on her pension, according to the tenants' union. Spain has had a housing law since 2023 that regulates rents, protects tenants and allows rent caps in high-demand areas.