United News of Bangladesh

At least five people were killed and two others injured after an explosion followed by a fire broke out at a defense company facility in South Korea on Monday. The incident occurred at a worksite operated by Hanwha Aerospace in the city of Daejeon, one of the company’s key facilities involved in the development of large-scale propellants and surface-to-surface weapons systems. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was not immediately known and an investigation was underway. Emergency official Yoon Seong-su said the site is designated as a government security facility. Medical official Kim Ju-yeon said one of the two injured victims was in critical condition. The identities of those killed had not yet been confirmed. Hanwha Aerospace is a major South Korean defense manufacturer, and the Daejeon facility plays a significant role in the country’s weapons development programs.

Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada said he would surrender to authorities after the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest on a non-bailable plunder charge linked to alleged kickbacks from flood-control projects. The court had earlier issued a bailable graft warrant against Estrada on Friday. He surrendered, posted bail and was released while denying any wrongdoing. Estrada, 63, is accused of receiving more than 570 million pesos ($9.3 million) in kickbacks, based largely on allegations by a former government public works engineer. He has strongly rejected the claims. Before leaving the Senate, Estrada suggested the cases against him were politically motivated due to his alignment with former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, a rival of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. “I will not yield to threats. I will not be intimidated,” he said. The senator, a former actor and son of former President Joseph Estrada, has previously faced corruption-related detention. The case adds to legal troubles in the Senate. Senator Ronald dela Rosa remains in hiding after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity linked to the anti-drug campaign under Duterte. Duterte, arrested last year and transferred to the Netherlands, is set to face trial in November over alleged crimes against humanity. Both Duterte and dela Rosa deny wrongdoing.

The death toll from an explosion at a South Korean aerospace manufacturing plant has risen to five, according to media reports citing fire authorities on Monday. The blast occurred at a Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon, located about 150 kilometres south of Seoul. Emergency services received the first report of the explosion at 10:59 a.m. local time (0159 GMT). Fire authorities confirmed that five people were killed and two others injured in the accident at the plant operated by Hanwha Aerospace, South Korea’s leading aerospace and defence company. Authorities said around 30 emergency calls were received from residents reporting a loud explosion and smoke rising from the site. A level-1 emergency response was issued at approximately 11:17 a.m. local time, and firefighters brought the blaze under control by 11:49 a.m. The plant has a history of similar incidents, having experienced rocket propellant explosions in 2018 and 2019 that left a total of eight people dead or injured. Police and fire officials believe the latest explosion occurred on the first floor of the facility for reasons that remain unclear. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.

More than 45 people were killed and scores injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a building reportedly used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar on Sunday, according to rescue workers and local media reports. The blast occurred around midday in Kaungtup village of Namhkam township, near the Chinese border. The area is controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group that has been involved in intermittent conflict with Myanmar’s military government. A rescue worker involved in the operation said 46 bodies, including those of six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation. He added that 74 injured people were transported to a local hospital, while rescue efforts continued. Another rescuer reported that more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged. Independent media outlets in Myanmar estimated the death toll at between 50 and 55, publishing images and videos showing extensive destruction, smoke and debris. China’s state broadcaster CCTV also reported multiple casualties and severe damage to residential buildings, citing preliminary findings that large quantities of mining explosives had been stored at the site. In a statement on Telegram, the TNLA said gelignite explosives kept by its economic department for mining and stone quarrying operations were stored at the facility. The group said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the explosion. Gelignite is commonly used in mining and blasting activities but can become unstable if improperly stored or kept for long periods. The TNLA, a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, has controlled the Namhkam area since a major offensive against Myanmar’s military in late 2023. Although the group signed a China-brokered ceasefire with the military in October last year, tensions remain high. Myanmar has been mired in conflict since the military seized power in February 2021, triggering widespread resistance and armed insurgencies across the country.  

  At least five people were killed and another injured after a collapse at an illegal mining site in southwest China's Yunnan province early Sunday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. in Baiwu village of Huize County. Authorities did not specify the type of mine involved in the accident. Rescue teams recovered all six workers trapped at the site and rushed them to hospital. However, five later died from their injuries, while the surviving worker remains in stable condition, the report said. Local authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse. The accident comes just over a week after one of China’s deadliest mining disasters in recent years. A coal mine explosion in northern Shanxi province killed at least 82 people, prompting scrutiny of safety standards in the sector. Officials investigating that incident said the mine operator had committed “serious violations” of regulations. Mining accidents, though less frequent than in previous decades, continue to occur in China, where authorities have repeatedly pledged to strengthen workplace safety and crack down on illegal mining operations.   

At least 18 Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan were killed and 35 others injured when a truck overturned on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday. The accident took place in Laghman Province along the main road connecting Kabul and Nangarhar Province, according to provincial governor’s spokesperson Abdul Malik Niazai. Officials said the victims included 10 children and five women. The injured, most of them women and children, were transported to hospitals in Nangarhar for treatment. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the crash. Road accidents remain a frequent occurrence in Afghanistan due to poor road conditions and widespread disregard for traffic regulations. The passengers were among the large number of Afghans returning from Pakistan amid an ongoing campaign against undocumented migrants launched by the Pakistani authorities in 2023. Similar expulsions have also taken place in Iran. Since then, millions of Afghans have returned from the two neighboring countries, including many who were born and raised in Pakistan and had lived there for decades.

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday began an official visit to India, marking his first trip to the neighboring country since assuming the presidency in April after an election widely criticized by opponents as a move to preserve military rule. According to Myanmar’s state-run MRTV, Min Aung Hlaing departed from Naypyitaw and arrived at Gaya International Airport in Bihar state. During the visit, he is scheduled to meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior government officials, and business representatives. Discussions are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in economic, cultural, religious, and social sectors. The Myanmar leader, accompanied by cabinet members, will also tour key infrastructure projects in India. India has maintained engagement with Myanmar’s military-led administration despite sanctions imposed by Western nations following the military takeover in 2021 that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered widespread unrest, armed conflict, and a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Sharing a 1,643-kilometer border and a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal, India regards Myanmar as strategically important for regional security. The two countries have worked together on border management and intelligence cooperation to address insurgent activities in frontier areas. India also hosts thousands of refugees who have fled violence in Myanmar, particularly from conflict-affected regions such as Chin state. The visit has drawn criticism from pro-democracy activists. Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung said hosting Min Aung Hlaing risks legitimizing a government accused of serious human rights violations. In a statement issued Friday, she urged India to reconsider its support for Myanmar’s military authorities, including military cooperation and business relations, and instead back the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of federal democracy.

Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state-controlled enterprises reported combined profits of more than 1.37 trillion yuan (about 202 billion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of 2026, representing year-on-year growth of 1.9 percent, latest government data showed Friday. During this period, Chinese SOEs' total operating revenue came in at roughly 26.27 trillion yuan, down 0.5 percent, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance. The SOEs' debt-to-asset ratio stood at 65.5 percent at the end of April, the data revealed. This year's government work report released in March states that the country will formulate and implement plans for further deepening SOE and state-capital reform to refine the layout of the state-owned sector and adjust its structure. During an inspection tour last month to Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing underscored the need to unswervingly deepen the reform of SOEs to ensure that SOEs strengthen, optimize and expand their businesses. He urged SOEs to enhance their role as major innovators and focus on tackling scientific and technological challenges in line with national strategic needs, in order to better support the development of the innovation ecosystem in the country.

President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, will pay an official visit to India from May 30 to June 3 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising several Cabinet Ministers, senior officials and business leaders.  This will be the first visit of President Min Aung Hlaing to India in his current capacity, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday.  He was scheduled to visit India to participate in the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on 1 June (since deferred). Myanmar lies at the confluence of India’s Neighborhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies.  The official visit of President Min Aung Hlaing to India is expected to further strengthen and deepen the multi-faceted relations between the two countries. During his visit to New Delhi, President Min Aung Hlaing will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 on further strengthening the historical and civilisational ties between the two countries. He will also participate in a business forum. As part of the visit, President Min Aung Hlaing will also travel to Bodh Gaya on 30 May 2026 and to Mumbai on June 2 for business and industry interactions and site visits.

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP/UNB) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding over 70 others, officials said. The force of the explosion caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online. The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media. Doctors at local hospitals said they had received the wounded, with 20 in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press the bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan’s central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel. Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country. “We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,” said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman. He said following the explosion, a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation has been launched. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying the militants targeted “innocent civilians, including women and children,” vowing to “hunt (them down)” in a post on X. Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase “Fitna al-Hindustan” to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional and international peace efforts. The attack came a day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that began on Feb. 28 after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, upending global travel and spiking oil prices. U.S. President Donald Trump had said a deal related to the conflict had been “largely negotiated” following calls with regional allies, including Pakistan. Zardari promised in a statement that his country “will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens.” Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety. Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted. At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.