United News of Bangladesh

Nepal earned 5.93 billion Nepalese rupees from electricity exports to India in the third month of fiscal year 2026/27, which began in mid-July, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said on Sunday. Revenue from electricity exports in the month increased by 962 million rupees compared with the same month last year, according to data from the state-owned power utility. Nepal earned 4.96 billion rupees from electricity exports to India during the same period last year. The NEA reported an increase in export earnings despite damage to several hydropower projects caused by the devastating floods of Aug. 26, which forced some plants authorized to export electricity to suspend generation. Nepal had suspended electricity exports to Bangladesh following the floods, but shipments resumed on Friday, according to the NEA. The country has been authorized to export up to 40MW of electricity as per the tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and Bangladesh. During the first three months of the current fiscal year, from mid-July to mid-October, Nepal recorded electricity export transactions worth a total of 16.15 billion rupees. The Aug. 26 floods severely damaged seven operational hydropower plants, three of which had received approval to export electricity. A total of 12 hydropower projects, including operational plants and those under construction, were damaged by the floods, according to the Nepal Development Update released by the World Bank earlier this month. (1 Nepalese rupee equals to 0.0066 U.S. dollar).

Pakistan urged Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Saturday to take verifiable action against militants it says operate from Afghan territory, dismissing Kabul’s assertion that Islamabad was shifting blame for its own security failures. In a separate statement on X, Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected allegations that it was arming Afghans to fight the Taliban or recruiting them to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had cited reports of both activities a day earlier. The exchanges come amid heightened tensions between the two sides over militant activity, repeated border clashes and Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, deepening a longstanding dispute over responsibility for cross-border violence. Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents. He offered no evidence, and did not identify the sources of those reports. Last month, Afghanistan said its forces killed 28 fighters and captured 32 others, including alleged members of the Islamic State group said to have crossed from neighboring Pakistan. Pakistan frequently accuses Kabul of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as well as the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, an affiliate of the global extremist network. The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban. On Friday, the Afghan Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Kabul was not responsible for insecurity in Pakistan. He accused Pakistani military and security agencies of shifting blame when they failed to maintain security at home. He said Kabul had neither an interest in destabilizing Pakistan nor the capability to foment or finance unrest in other countries. In Islamabad, the Information Ministry on X said those assertions did not address what it described as documented security concerns. It cited attempted cross-border infiltration, the deaths of Afghan nationals and members of militant groups during Pakistani counterterrorism operations, and the recovery of foreign-origin weapons as matters requiring scrutiny. According to the ministry, the U.S. report covering January through March 2026 estimated the strength of the Pakistani Taliban at 4,000 to 6,000 fighters. Pakistan is currently conducting multiple operations against militants near the Afghan border. The ministry said these security measures were aimed at targeting militant threats, not the Afghan people. It urged the Taliban government to end any tolerance, facilitation or support for militant organizations, including the TTP and the BLA, and prevent Afghan territory from being used to plan or launch attacks against Pakistan. Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, with much of it blamed on TTP and BLA. Pakistan says many TTP leaders and BLA insurgents have found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021, an allegation Kabul denies. Pakistani authorities say more than 2,800 militant attacks since January have killed 3,000 people across Pakistan, mainly in the northwest and Balochistan province.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in China for his first visit to the country in a year, South Korea’s government said Saturday, as Pyongyang seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing amid growing alignment with Moscow. According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, Kim appeared to have arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after crossing a newly opened bridge connecting the two countries. The ministry did not immediately provide further details. The opening of the New Yalu River Bridge this month has been viewed by experts as a symbol of closer ties between the two countries and their efforts to expand trade. The bridge is expected to support round-the-clock traffic in both directions, including container shipments and heavy trucks. North Korean state media had not reported the visit, while China’s Foreign Ministry press office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation. Japan’s Kyodo News agency, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, reported earlier Saturday that Chinese authorities had imposed strict traffic restrictions in parts of Dandong and hotel rooms in those areas were unavailable for booking. Kim has recently moved to strengthen relations with China, Pyongyang’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline, after prioritising ties with Russia for several years. North Korea has sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, reportedly in return for possible military and economic assistance. The visit is Kim’s sixth to China since he took power in late 2011 following the death of his father. It comes ahead of the October 25 anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950. The war began when North Korea launched a surprise attack on South Korea in June 1950, prompting a US-led United Nations coalition to intervene. Chinese forces backed North Korea, with assistance from the Soviet air force, before an armistice ended the fighting in 1953. The Korean Peninsula technically remains at war. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that a delegation from China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs had arrived in Pyongyang the previous day, but did not say whether the visit was connected to preparations for the anniversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June for talks with Kim. During the meeting, Xi expressed Beijing’s readiness to expand cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described relations with China as a top strategic priority. Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met Xi and attended a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders. Kim has maintained a hard line towards Seoul and has so far rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to revive diplomatic talks, which collapsed in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Pyongyang has called on Washington to abandon what it describes as a “hostile policy” and drop demands for North Korea’s denuclearisation as a condition for renewed negotiations. South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers last month that there was a 50 percent possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts for the missing and prompt medical treatment for the injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck a county in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Thursday night. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an important instruction, calling for every effort to minimize casualties.  Sixteen people were killed and 46 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County of Nagqu City in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region at 10:33 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time), according to the city's earthquake relief headquarters. The regional disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee activated a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief on Friday. As of 5:20 a.m. Friday, 11 of the injured were in serious condition, while 35 sustained minor injuries. Over 330 houses collapsed or were damaged.

Sixteen people were killed and 65 others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Baqen County of Nagqu City in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region at 10:33 p.m. Thursday, the city's earthquake relief headquarters said on Friday. The regional disaster prevention, reduction and relief committee activated a Level III emergency response for natural disaster relief on Friday. Over 330 houses collapsed or were damaged. The damage caused by the quake is being further evaluated, and disaster relief work is underway. Quake relief supplies allocated by the authorities at various levels have been arriving at the quake-hit zone as of early Friday morning, including 1,000 sets of prefabricated houses, more than 3,200 tents, over 2,800 folding beds, and other daily necessities like quilts, stoves and clothes.     

At least six people, including two women and a girl, were killed and 25 others injured after a passenger bus rammed into a roadside tree in India's central state of Chhattisgarh on Thursday. The accident took place within the jurisdiction of Kelhari Police Station in the Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) district while the bus was travelling from the Manendragarh area to Kelhari town at a high speed. More than 30 passengers were on board when the accident occurred, police said. According to police, the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into the tree. The death toll was feared to rise, as more than 15 of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

North Korea plans to resume anti-Seoul propaganda broadcasts along its heavily fortified border with South Korea, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, has said, reviving a psychological warfare campaign amid rising tensions following land mine explosions that injured three South Korean front-line soldiers. Kim Yo Jong, her brother’s key spokesperson on relations with Washington and Seoul, announced the move on Wednesday after visiting border areas where North Korean troops are strengthening fortifications. She also renewed threats of retaliation against any South Korean provocation targeting the ongoing construction work. In a follow-up statement on Thursday, she said North Korea would place “new counter means” on alert along the border and put its loudspeakers on standby within days. North Korea has been installing mines, barbed-wire fences, anti-tank barriers and other fortifications along the border, already one of the world's most heavily armed frontiers, as Kim Jong Un maintains a hard-line stance toward Seoul. During the visit with Marshal Pak Jong Chon, one of her brother’s senior military officials, Kim Yo Jong described the fortification work as a “sacred and great undertaking” in support of the leader’s policy of permanently severing ties with South Korea. Kim Jong Un has declared South Korea his most hostile adversary amid a broader diplomatic stalemate with Washington. “Our tactical hunting teams are taking new positions, and within October, the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be in operation along the whole border,” Kim Yo Jong said, referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea. She warned that if South Korean warning shots, which Seoul says are intended to push North Korean soldiers back across the border during fortification work, cause “actual harm to our territorial security and our service persons' safety,” North Korean border guards “will show no mercy for the armed gangsters bereft of reason.” Asked about the threat to resume loudspeaker broadcasts, South Korean Defence Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said on Thursday that Seoul would need to take “proportionate measures” in response to North Korea’s activities along the border. She did not specify what steps the South might consider. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency initially reported that Kim visited the border on Tuesday. However, Kim later corrected the timing in a separate statement, saying the visit took place early Wednesday. Following an inspection with the US-led United Nations Command, South Korea formally blamed North Korean-planted mines for the September 21 explosions and called on Pyongyang to apologise and remove its remaining mines. North Korea has denied responsibility for the blasts and warned of strong retaliation if provoked. “Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions,” Kim Yo Jong told soldiers during Wednesday’s visit, reminding them of her brother’s order to make the border with the “enemy ... eternally impregnable.” South Korea’s military has said North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line 50 times this year while carrying out fortification work, prompting Seoul to respond with warning shots and loudspeaker broadcasts. Kim Yo Jong has dismissed the South’s claims of border crossings as a “false pretext” and accused Seoul of escalating provocations “beyond the red line” since the mine explosions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Jin Yong-Sung, described Kim’s threats as “intolerable” and instructed the military to respond firmly to potential North Korean provocations. During Tuesday’s border inspection, Pak accused South Korea of making “deliberate, premeditated and absurd” claims to shift blame for the rising tensions. He also threatened an “overwhelming response” to any South Korean provocation. Pak denied that North Korean troops had crossed the border during fortification work, saying “our army knows where our borderline is better than any others,” according to KCNA. Loudspeaker broadcasts are among the Cold War-era psychological warfare tactics that the two Koreas have occasionally used against each other during periods of heightened tensions. South Korea’s liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, suspended its broadcasts after taking office last year in an effort to improve relations with the North. Pyongyang later halted its own broadcasts as well. Kim Jong Un has cut off diplomatic engagement and cooperation with South Korea in recent years, declaring the country a permanent enemy as a prolonged deadlock in nuclear negotiations with Washington continues.

Saudi Arabia’s main airport in the capital Riyadh resumed limited flight operations on Wednesday, two days after airlines were notified that they could restart services with prior permission, following multiple attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels this month. Only Saudi airlines were operating at King Khalid International Airport on Wednesday, according to flight-tracking data published by FlightAware. Saudia and Flynas were operating flights, while major international carriers, including Lufthansa and Air France, had cancelled services through mid-November. The airport was struck multiple times by Houthi rebels this month and was shut down on October 10. The decline in air traffic could have longer-term economic implications for Saudi Arabia beyond the direct damage caused by the attacks. The Houthis have acknowledged targeting the airport, claiming, without providing evidence, that Saudi Arabia used the facility to supply military equipment to government forces. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed five Houthi drones launched towards Saudi Arabia over the holy city of Medina on Wednesday. In Yemen, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said a ballistic missile struck a military camp near Aden airport. A transportation ministry official said airport operations were temporarily suspended, but the runway was undamaged and a civilian aircraft had departed before the strike.

India's largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), said on Wednesday that a cyberattack by hackers breached the organization's data, resulting in the disclosure of 3,897 customer records on the dark web. According to the bank, the exposed data included customers' registered mobile numbers, dates of birth, names, gender, email addresses, and residential addresses. SBI said it has activated its cyber incident response and containment protocols and engaged an independent cybersecurity agency to conduct a comprehensive assessment and investigate the nature and extent of the alleged compromise. The bank claimed that the leak is not expected to have any material impact on the bank's core business operations, financial performance, or business continuity.

Siddiqui was working amid the constant hum of machinery when her vision began to blur and her heart started pounding. The garment factory on the outskirts of Karachi was sweltering, crowded with perspiring workers and large industrial machines radiating heat. The air was heavy with humidity from the summer monsoon. Feeling as though she could not breathe, Siddiqui drew the concern of her co-workers, who called her supervisor. The 28-year-old, whose identity The Associated Press is withholding beyond her surname for fear of employer retaliation, said she was told to finish her work. “The supervisor said, ‘Just complete this work,’” she told AP. “Suddenly darkness came before my eyes.” Overcome by the heat, she collapsed. Extreme heat, intensified by climate change, is creating hazardous working conditions in Pakistan's factories. From denim jeans to household goods, these factories manufacture products for global companies that have pledged to protect workers' health and safety. However, experts and labour rights advocates say those commitments have yet to translate into adequate workplace protection, leaving workers increasingly vulnerable as temperatures rise. AP interviewed more than a dozen factory workers in Karachi, all of whom described sweltering workplaces, a lack of heat-safety measures and adverse health effects, including fainting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from their employers. All but one said they lost wages when heat-related illnesses forced them to miss work. Ten said they produced goods for global brands sold in the United States and Europe. Workers face scorching conditions inside factories For workers like Siddiqui, extreme heat — temperatures of 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) or above combined with high humidity — is not merely an occupational hazard. She lives with her six children in a small room on the outskirts of Karachi without air conditioning, where temperatures regularly exceed 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) during heatwaves. Conditions are even worse inside the garment factory where she sews clothes for Spanish brands such as Zara and Mango. Large machines generate additional heat, while fans are often broken or too small to provide relief. Workers told AP that windows are narrow, positioned high up or kept closed to prevent theft, trapping more heat inside. “Smoke, heat, you face it,” said a 34-year-old male factory worker. Heat-related illnesses and wage losses are widespread Extreme heat can act as a silent killer, sometimes causing little outward indication while inflicting serious internal damage. It can also aggravate existing conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma. Studies have linked heat exposure to dehydration, heatstroke, organ failure and death. “The longer you work in the heat, the less that you're protected from it and the health risks rise,” said Andreas Flouris, founder of FAME Lab, which researches the health effects of heat. Climate change is rapidly increasing the number of people exposed to extreme heat. The World Health Organization identifies heat stress as a leading cause of weather-related deaths. Research by World Weather Attribution has also found that climate change has substantially increased the frequency, intensity and risks of extreme heatwaves in Pakistan. Workers interviewed by AP reported temporary muscle paralysis, swollen limbs, fluctuations in blood pressure, breathing difficulties, blurred vision and exhaustion, particularly during the hottest months. One worker showed scaly rashes on her arms caused by repeated chemical exposure, saying the pain became worse in summer. All the workers said they had witnessed colleagues fainting because of the heat. Several had fainted themselves, some on multiple occasions. Those who collapsed were often given only a brief rest or a sugary drink before being instructed to return to work. Workers said complaints to supervisors had brought no meaningful changes. Only one worker interviewed by AP said they received paid sick leave. The others said they lost wages for missed working hours, even when they fainted at work or suffered heat-related illnesses. Siddiqui wept on the floor of her home while recounting how she fainted and was taken to hospital. She earns 15,000 Pakistani rupees ($54) a month, and the cost of hospital treatment — which her employer refused to cover — left her unable to afford food for her children. “Sometimes they eat one meal, sometimes they don't eat a meal,” she said, adding that her younger children sometimes cry from hunger. “The older ones have gotten used to it.” Practical solutions remain largely absent Factories can adopt simple, scalable and economically feasible measures to protect workers from extreme heat, including accurately monitoring indoor temperatures and humidity, providing cold drinking water and allowing regular breaks, Flouris said. Other measures include installing barriers to reduce radiant heat from machinery, improving ventilation and cooling systems, and painting rooftops white to reflect sunlight. “We're talking about some very simple strategies,” he said. However, workers told AP that almost none of these measures were in place at their factories. Several said the metal roofs of their workplaces made summer conditions unbearable, yet employers did not provide additional drinking water or breaks. All the workers said their factories lacked heat sensors. Only one reported having a ventilation system, which was switched on only when auditors visited for inspections. Although employers provided drinking water, workers said it was rarely cold and they were uncertain whether it was safe to drink. “Sometimes it smells like dead rats,” said the 34-year-old male worker. Safety pledges by global brands lack enforcement Pakistan has national and provincial laws, along with constitutional protections, intended to safeguard workers from hazardous workplace conditions, said Farhan Haider, a programme manager at the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research in Karachi. Some companies sourcing products from these factories, including Inditex, the parent company of Zara, and Mango, have signed legally binding agreements to protect workers or introduced their own workplace safety commitments. One of the most concrete initiatives is the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. In 2025, the agreement announced that it would recognise heat as an occupational safety risk and develop protocols to address heat stress. The protocols remain under review and have not yet taken effect. Representatives of the Pakistan Accord, a country-specific safety programme operating as an extension of the broader International Accord, did not respond to AP's requests for interviews or comment. Brands have a responsibility to ensure their suppliers are held accountable for protecting workers, including from extreme heat, said Cara Schulte, a researcher at Climate Rights International who published a report on factory workers' conditions in Pakistan in 2025. In an email to AP, an Inditex spokesperson said the company was strengthening efforts to address heat stress across its supply chain through updated factory audits, guidance and training for suppliers, and cooperation with industry initiatives. A Mango spokesperson described workers' health and safety as a “non-negotiable priority” and cited the company's supplier code of conduct, which was strengthened this year to explicitly address extreme temperatures and heat stress. A spokesperson for Sindh province, where Karachi is located, acknowledged that implementation of the regulations remained a challenge. “The government is making efforts to enforce these regulations, but given the province's vast size and the presence of numerous industrial zones, complaints are inevitable,” said Sadia Javed, who is also a member of the Provincial Assembly. For workers like Siddiqui, however, complaints continue to go unanswered as temperatures climb. “If you feel too unwell, (supervisors) say, ‘This is an everyday problem. Women cry and complain a lot, but the work still must be done,’” she said.