United News of Bangladesh

US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iranian forces allegedly targeted American Navy vessels with ballistic missiles, marking a fresh escalation in the months-long conflict, the US military said Saturday. The US military said an aircraft carrier and a destroyer came under multiple “unprovoked Iranian attacks” while operating in the region, but no American personnel were injured. According to the US statement, two Iranian oil tankers were permanently disabled and a third, which was carrying no cargo, was destroyed. The military said the vessels were part of a shadow shipping network that helps finance Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies. US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper warned that Washington would defend its forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran's “limited and exposed oil fleet.” Iran's state broadcaster later reported that Iranian forces had targeted three oil tankers and three US vessels in retaliation for the American strikes. The report could not immediately be independently verified. An Iranian military command spokesperson warned that attacks on US warships would become more severe if Washington continued interfering with Iranian shipping. The US said one tanker was hit near Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil-export terminal, another near Jask east of the Strait of Hormuz, and the third in the Gulf of Oman. The crew of the empty tanker was ordered to abandon the vessel. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as a war crime and warned that Washington and its allies would bear responsibility for the consequences of continued US aggression, including what Tehran described as economic warfare. The latest strikes came nearly a week after the United States and Iran resumed hostilities following a month-long lull. Fighting has again centered on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil and gas shipments. The conflict began on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Months of intermittent fighting have inflicted military and economic damage on both sides, while diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have collapsed. The latest escalation also follows renewed attacks in southern Iran, where a US strike earlier this week killed at least five people. One attack hit a wedding gathering, according to local accounts. The Trump administration has pursued a combination of military action and economic pressure against Tehran. US Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that there was no prospect of renewed negotiations while Iran continued attacking ships, although he noted that major military operations had ended in July. Iran, meanwhile, has continued exporting oil despite US sanctions and a blockade, relying partly on a shadow fleet of vessels to transport crude to international buyers. The country's nuclear programme remains a major source of tension. Negotiations intended to address the issue collapsed after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in June. The United States, Britain, France and Germany are now seeking to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over alleged failures to meet its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. With diplomacy stalled, Tehran has increasingly used control over the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. US forces have been helping commercial vessels navigate the waterway, although shipping traffic remains significantly below normal levels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday as Washington renewed efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. The closed-door meeting ended without any immediate announcement of a breakthrough. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov later described the talks as constructive, frank and useful, but did not disclose specific outcomes. Witkoff and Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian officials. It will be their first visit to the Ukrainian capital as part of the current peace process. The meeting took place amid an escalation in Russian and Ukrainian aerial attacks. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to temporarily suspend strikes on each other's capitals while the US delegation conducted its talks. At the start of the Kremlin meeting, Putin asked the US envoys to convey his greetings and gratitude to Trump, while acknowledging that the situation surrounding Ukraine remained difficult. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv beginning at midnight Saturday. Zelenskyy separately said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from attacking Moscow through Monday and expected Russia to reciprocate. Ushakov said Moscow provided the US delegation with a detailed assessment of the battlefield situation in Ukraine. He added that the discussions also covered economic issues and possible large-scale projects that could benefit both Russia and the United States. The latest talks come after the US-led peace process lost momentum amid Washington's focus on the war involving Iran over the past six months. Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, when they also met Putin. Meanwhile, fighting has continued along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line, with both sides stepping up long-range attacks. Zelenskyy said Russia carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil international airports, suggesting the attacks were linked to preparations for the US delegation's planned trip to Ukraine. “Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” he said in a social media post. The latest Russian attacks also caused civilian casualties in several parts of Ukraine. In the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian strikes killed five workers and wounded others at an industrial facility, according to regional officials. Separate attacks in the region's Nikopol district and around Dnipro also killed one person and injured several others while damaging residential and commercial buildings. In the eastern Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a house in Chuhuiv, killing three people, including an 11-year-old boy, and injuring a woman, regional officials said. Two people were also killed and another wounded in a Russian drone attack in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region. Officials said dozens of facilities across five districts were damaged, including homes, warehouses, railway infrastructure and vehicles. In the southern Mykolaiv region, Russian drones repeatedly struck a shopping center, damaging shops and triggering fires. A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were wounded, according to Ukraine's emergency services. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles and 167 attack drones overnight, including Shahed-type drones, many of them jet-powered. Ukrainian air defenses said they shot down or otherwise neutralised 128 drones. Ukraine also continued attacks inside Russia. Authorities in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said two people were killed and three wounded in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones overnight. Despite the renewed diplomatic push, the continued attacks underscore the difficulty of securing a lasting ceasefire, with both sides still seeking military and political leverage on the battlefield.

At least 22 people were killed and several others injured in a fire that broke out early Saturday at a wedding venue in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a local official said. The fire erupted in a building housing a reception hall on the premises in Lingwala commune while a wedding ceremony was underway, Norbert Mushinga, head of the commune, told reporters at the scene. "The provisional death toll stands at 22 and could rise," Mushinga said, adding that property inside the building was also destroyed by the blaze. Several injured people were taken to hospitals across Kinshasa for treatment, he said. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Mushinga said authorities are investigating possible factors, including electrical faults and decorations at the venue. 

A Greek air force jet crashed at an air show north of Athens on Saturday, killing the two pilots, officials said, as thousands of people were in attendance at the event. The crash of the twin-seat Phantom F4 jet occurred during a low-altitude maneuver. A fire after the crash sent up large plumes of black smoke. There were no injuries among the spectators. “The sense of grief is widespread, and our thoughts are with the families of the two pilots we lost,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. “It is a reminder of the daily danger faced by Greece’s aviators, who remain on constant standby to protect Greece's skies.” Air force officials in Greece said the bodies of the two pilots were located during a rescue operation, hampered in the early stages by the fire on the grounds of Tanagra air force base, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) north of Athens. Eleven water-dropping planes and helicopters assisted 85 firefighters to contain the blaze, which remained at some distance from the viewing area at Athens Flying Week, an annual air show. Organizers canceled remaining events planned over the weekend, while the fire prompted an evacuation order in an area near the base. Video footage of the crash showed a plume of smoke rising from the point of the impact followed by a larger, second explosion that occurred nearby as the plane broke apart. Cyprus' Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas said that he had called his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, to express the condolences of his government. “It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of the two officers of the Hellenic Air Force, who lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred during the air show at Tanagra Air Base,” Palmas wrote in an online post. The air force declared three days of mourning following the crash.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to strikes against Kiev, a move linked to preparations for contacts with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "The meeting with President Putin will indeed take place, and there will be talks. As a rule, such meetings have been quite lengthy in the past. Let us wait and see. We will certainly keep you informed," Peskov told journalists. Peskov also urged against making predictions about settlement proposals and called for waiting for the outcome of Putin's meeting with the U.S. negotiators. Witkoff and Kushner landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport at 12:52 p.m. local time (0952 GMT) on Saturday. They were welcomed at the airport by Russia's special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Peskov's statement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier in the day that Russia had struck airports in Kiev and its southeastern suburb of Boryspil overnight. "Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kiev Airport or Boryspil Airport," Zelensky said in a post on X. Zelensky said that Ukraine had taken note of the Russian move and would adjust its operations next week accordingly with regard to Russian airspace. Zelensky also said on Thursday that he expected to meet Trump's envoys in the Ukrainian capital in the coming days.   

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has announced that a new international mission is underway, with vessels stopping at European ports ahead of an attempt to reach Gaza’s shores in October. The coalition said in a statement that the mission to "challenge Israel’s illegal and deadly blockade of Gaza" will proceed despite the violence Israeli forces previously inflicted on volunteers and activists, including documented cases of severe beatings, repeated tasering and sexual assault.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday announced overnight airstrikes targeting Hezbollah militants and military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, the military action was launched after Hezbollah directed a drone toward Israeli troops positioned in an IDF-held security zone in southern Lebanon on Friday evening. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the drone incident. The military statement noted that the targets included weapons storage facilities used by Hezbollah to plan and direct attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. "The strikes were carried out to remove an immediate threat," the statement added. The IDF reiterated that it will not allow Hezbollah to threaten its soldiers or civilians and will continue to eliminate security threats while remaining committed to the ceasefire agreement.

Nearly 2,000 people, mostly students, fell ill in suspected food poisoning incidents linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s Free Nutritious Meals program this week, raising fresh concerns over food safety as the multibillion-dollar initiative expands nationwide. Between Tuesday and Thursday, about 1,950 students, teachers and Islamic boarding school pupils in East Java, Central Java, West Sumatra, Aceh and South Sulawesi became sick after eating meals distributed under the program, known locally as MBG. The largest outbreak occurred in Rembang, Central Java, where 752 students and 25 teachers at State Senior High School 1 Lasem suffered diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain. In Sidoarjo, East Java, 730 people, mostly students at Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school, were affected. Authorities said 706 had been discharged and were recovering at home. Other suspected cases were reported in Agam, Bener Meriah and Tana Toraja. No deaths have been reported, and investigations are underway. Since the program began in January 2025, MBG-linked food poisoning incidents have affected 50,059 people in 560 cases across 245 districts and cities in 36 provinces, according to Health Ministry data. Officials said most previous cases were linked to violations of food safety procedures. Authorities are now reviewing about 27,000 meal distribution centers, while at least 833 kitchens have been closed over hygiene and sanitation failures.

Rescue teams in Nepal on Saturday recovered a Chinese national and a woman alive, 10 days after devastating floods swept through parts of the country, officials said. The Chinese man was found inside a tunnel at the Trishuli hydropower project, according to a post by the Prime Minister’s Office on social media. His rescue brings to three the number of workers found alive at the project. Two Nepali workers were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday. Nepal’s army said a joint team of Nepali military personnel and South Korean disaster-response specialists rescued the man from a 225-metre (738-foot) tunnel. He was being medically assessed after being brought out and was later evacuated by helicopter, with an army medic monitoring him during the flight. Footage released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed two rescuers carrying the survivor out of the tunnel. Authorities said around 900 workers remain missing from 12 hydropower projects across Nepal, with about 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels. Elsewhere, a woman was rescued alive from a house in flood-hit Nuwakot town on Saturday, according to a spokesperson for Nepal’s army. She was being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Photos released by the army showed rescuers finding the woman covered in mud. They provided her with bottled water before taking her to safety wrapped in a gray blanket. At least 1,300 people were killed in the floods that struck Nepal on Aug 26, while more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. The flooding was likely triggered by a glacier collapse.

New platform brings together pricing, market fundamentals, trade and plant data, analyst expertise, and AI-assisted discovery in a modern, connected experience. ResourceWise today announced the launch of ResourceWise Compass™, its new market intelligence platform, together with ResourceWise IQ™, that enables users to explore ResourceWise intelligence through natural language questions. Compass launches first with ResourceWise’s chemicals market intelligence, bringing together the deep expertise and market intelligence of Tecnon OrbiChem and Chemical Intelligence, previously delivered through OrbiChem360® and ChemEdge360®. The platform builds on that foundation, enhancing the way customers explore pricing, market fundamentals, trade, plant data, expert analysis, and market developments. The platform is designed to make it easier and faster for chemical market professionals to explore related market signals, investigate changing conditions, and access the data, analysis, and expert insight relevant to their decisions. “Our customers need immediate access to high-quality data to make critical business decisions,” said Pete Stewart, President and CEO of ResourceWise. “Compass brings together world-class human-driven intelligence carefully contextualized across dynamic global market. With connected supply, demand, production, trade, and pricing data, Compass gives customers a clearer view of what is shaping market direction and business risk, so they can make more informed commercial and strategic decisions.” The launch marks the next stage in ResourceWise's broader strategy to modernize the delivery of its market intelligence. Compass is being built as a common platform for ResourceWise intelligence across the markets it serves, beginning with chemicals and expanding over time across the company's other verticals. ResourceWise Compass platform vision: connecting ResourceWise Intelligence™ across markets through a modern, unified delivery experience. Understand What Is Driving the Market Price movement is only one signal. To fully understand market direction, chemical market professionals need visibility into production, capacity, demand, trade, and the developments influencing those fundamentals. Compass gives users a faster way to investigate those factors, add expert insights, and build a clearer view of current and emerging market conditions. Users can explore the market from multiple angles, including: •  Track pricing and market direction with chemical pricing intelligence, historical trends, forecasts, analyst commentary, and filterable, exportable data views •  Understand the production landscape with plant-level information, global capacity, producer trends, and announced projects •  Follow global trade patterns through import and export flows, trading partners, historical trends, and geographic flow visualization •  Evaluate supply-demand fundamentals using demand trends, production, capacity, utilization, supply balances, and trade positions •  Add expert market context through analysis and commentary from ResourceWise chemical industry experts •  Explore intelligence more intuitively with ResourceWise IQ™ using natural-language questions to surface relevant ResourceWise data and analysis “ResourceWise has built deep proprietary datasets and industry expertise across the markets we serve,” said Peter Coutu, Chief Operating Officer at ResourceWise. “Compass gives us a modern foundation for delivering that market intelligence and insight in a way that is easier to navigate, analyze, and apply. It also gives us a scalable platform for expanding both the depth of our market coverage and the ways customers can use ResourceWise Intelligence over time.” Following the initial chemical market launch, ResourceWise plans to bring additional ResourceWise markets onto Compass, including forest products, pulp and paper, and low-carbon fuels as development progresses. To learn more about ResourceWise Compass, visit www.resourcewise.com/platforms/compass . ResourceWise Compass brings chemical pricing, market trends, expert intelligence, and AI-assisted discovery together in a modern, interactive platform.