United News of Bangladesh

Researchers in Australia have developed new visual tests that could help detect early signs of dementia associated with Parkinson's disease, potentially enabling earlier diagnosis. The researchers at Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) led the development of the tests to detect early signs of dementia in Lewy body disease, which includes Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, according to a UQ statement released on Wednesday. Lewy body disease is the second most common form of degenerative dementia and occurs when Lewy bodies, abnormal clumps of a protein called alpha-synuclein, build up in the brain's nerve cells and interfere with how they work. Difficulty processing visual information is an early feature of Lewy body disease and can appear before other obvious symptoms, said neurologist Professor Peter Nestor from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, who led the development of the tests. The researchers examined two visual pathways: one involved in recognizing what we are looking at, and the other in processing where something is located. The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, examined visual processing across the full spectrum of Lewy body disease, including in people with Parkinson's disease who were not experiencing any cognitive symptoms, as well as people with Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that visual problems were worse for those with Lewy body disease than Alzheimer's disease, with the two conditions affecting visual processing pathways differently. Visual hallucinations, a common symptom of Lewy body disease, were also closely linked to visual processing difficulties, the study showed. Nestor said the new tests can detect the very earliest signs of emerging dementia in Lewy body disease, including in some people with Parkinson's disease who were not yet aware of their visual processing difficulties.

US President Donald Trump has announced plans for “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration in Greenland, but it remains unclear which projects he was referring to, as the Arctic territory faces major obstacles to commercial resource extraction. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump described Greenland as “our new and beautiful Greenland”. However, the self-governing territory belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark and is not part of the United States. Greenland has significant deposits of rare earth minerals and potential offshore oil and gas reserves. But harsh weather, limited infrastructure, difficult geology and Arctic ice have hindered exploration and commercial extraction for decades. Trump’s announcement came less than a month after he signed an agreement with Danish and Greenlandic leaders to strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic security. The deal allows for an expanded US military presence but does not grant Washington special rights to explore Greenland’s natural resources. The United States is seeking to reduce its dependence on China, which dominates global supplies of rare earth minerals used in electronics, batteries and renewable energy technologies. Trump also highlighted Greenland’s strategic importance for US and European defence. The island hosts the Pituffik Space Base, where roughly 200 US personnel support missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO. Last month, Trump said Washington would begin developing a larger military presence in Greenland, including two major military bases.

Residents in Saudi Arabia’s capital reported new explosions on Wednesday as the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh amid escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis claimed attacks on King Khalid International Airport, oil facilities in Dhahran and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh, describing them as retaliation for Saudi strikes on rebel-held areas of Yemen. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the latest explosions. Saudi civil defence authorities issued air raid alerts for Riyadh and Kharj province. The escalation has raised concerns over Saudi Arabia’s ability to intercept the rebels’ missiles and drones. Regional officials say the kingdom, the world’s largest purchaser of American weapons, is running low on missile interceptors. Saudi Civil Defense said debris from two intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh overnight, injuring four people, including a child, and damaging 15 homes. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry said two people were killed and two others injured in a Saudi airstrike on a state oil company facility in the Ras Isa port area of Hodeida province on Tuesday. It also reported an attack on an oil facility in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has intensified airstrikes against rebel-held areas in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, while the Houthis continue targeting critical Saudi infrastructure. The fighting has raised questions about possible US intervention. President Donald Trump has said he is evaluating whether Washington should join the Saudi-led strikes against the Houthis. Ahmed Nagi, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said attacks on fuel storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas marked a new phase in the Saudi-led campaign, warning that a prolonged war of attrition could weaken the rebels’ military capabilities.

A court in India has sentenced two leaders of the youth-led “Cockroach” movement to five days in jail after police detained them during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the group said on Wednesday. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were among around a dozen people detained on Tuesday after climbing over barricades to enter the grounds of Jantar Mantar, a historic observatory in central New Delhi that has long been used for protests. Police said the site was no longer an officially designated protest venue and accused Ranka and Das of trespassing and violating prohibitory orders. The arrests came after a major police crackdown over the weekend to prevent mostly young demonstrators from gathering in New Delhi to demand Kumar’s resignation. Police briefly detained thousands of protesters. “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, condemning the arrests as “an act of cowardice.” The protests have grown over a nationwide revision of voter lists that has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Critics allege that the process is politically motivated and could prevent millions of eligible voters from casting their ballots. However, the Election Commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government say the exercise aims to remove duplicate and ineligible entries from the lists. Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the “Cockroach” movement, also criticised Modi in a post on X. “If you're so determined to crush dissent, have the courage to officially declare an Emergency instead of hiding behind these cowardly tactics,” Dipke wrote. The “Cockroach” movement emerged as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites. Many young Indians adopted the cockroach as a symbol of resilience in response to the remark. Protests organised by the group led to the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July, marking a rare political setback for the prime minister, who has been in power for more than 12 years.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday as Ukraine seeks greater support to defend itself against Russia’s intensifying attacks. Ukraine and its European allies are working to strengthen the country’s defences amid growing Russian bombardment and uncertainty over the Trump administration’s commitment to supporting Kyiv in its war against Moscow, which began in February 2022. Burnham’s office said the UK would provide “urgent support” to Ukraine in the coming weeks and speed up deliveries of air defence missiles needed to protect the country ahead of the harsh winter. US President Donald Trump’s recent decisions have repeatedly raised concerns among Ukrainian and Western European leaders. Last week, Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import large quantities of Russian diesel. The announcement came as Western countries continued efforts to impose sanctions on Russia and limit Putin’s international influence. It added to concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that Trump was moving closer to the Russian leader while distancing himself from Zelenskyy. Burnham, however, reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to Ukraine ahead of the Ukrainian president’s visit. “My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe,” he said. Analysts said Trump’s latest move had strengthened European determination to continue supporting Ukraine. “Ahead of a tough winter for Ukraine, Donald Trump's swing back toward Russia bodes ill,” Rym Momtaz of Carnegie Europe wrote in an assessment on Tuesday. “But instead of panicking, Kyiv's European allies are focusing on action.” Britain, along with the European Union, is also considering further sanctions against Russia. London has urged Moscow to respect a partial ceasefire announced by Trump and stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is complying with the energy ceasefire. Burnham made Kyiv his first foreign destination after becoming prime minister in July, offering to share technology for producing long-range missiles with Ukraine. Russia subsequently accused Britain of taking part in the war on Ukraine’s side.  

Ukraine has become a global leader in military drone technology since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four years ago, helping its forces counter a much larger enemy. However, the country’s growing drone industry still relies heavily on electronic components made in China, a key Russian ally. Ukraine fears Beijing could restrict supplies of essential components or give Russian defence companies preferential access to Chinese factories. Over the past two years, Ukraine has tried to reduce its dependence on China by expanding domestic production and importing more components from Taiwan, Europe and the United States. These efforts have reduced its reliance on Chinese motors, flight controllers and other parts, but completely replacing Chinese supplies remains difficult because of their lower prices and China’s huge production capacity. “If China stops their production to us ... we are blinded,” said Andrii Taganskyi, an executive at Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Odd Systems, which develops cameras for drones. China has tightened export controls on drones and related equipment several times in recent years, citing concerns about the military use of civilian technology and the continuation of the war. Although the restrictions have not stopped Chinese components from reaching Ukraine, they have caused delays, increased costs and forced Ukrainian companies to use intermediaries in other countries. “China has leverage,” said Robert Tallost, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a think tank. He warned that Beijing could direct more supplies to Russia while limiting shipments to Western countries. China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing follows a “prudent and responsible” approach to military exports, opposes the use of civilian drones for military purposes and urges all sides to seek a political settlement. Replacing Chinese components would raise costs Ukraine’s drone industry has gained international recognition for developing and assembling advanced systems that have changed modern warfare. However, many essential components remain difficult to produce domestically. Around a dozen Ukrainian manufacturers said they still depend largely on China for magnets, motors, chips, thermal sensors, battery cells and other materials. Oleksandr Yakovenko of TAF Industries, a major Ukrainian defence company, said replacing Chinese components entirely with Western alternatives could increase costs by as much as 60% and reduce production by a similar proportion. He and other industry executives said such a trade-off would not be practical. Nevertheless, Ukrainian manufacturers have made progress in increasing domestic production. Three years ago, drone maker Vyriy relied on China for nearly 90% of the components used in its attack drones. Today, about 70-80% of its components are made in Ukraine, said its founder, Oleksii Babenko. Greater domestic production also allows companies to respond more quickly to battlefield demands. Locally made drones and components can be redesigned within days, while changes involving foreign supply chains may take months, said Artur Savchii, an analyst at the Kyiv-based Serpens Center for International Security. Ukrainian customs data show that nearly 90% of the country’s imported drone components came directly from China at the beginning of 2024. The figure fell to 28% during the first eight months of 2026. However, the decline may be less significant than the figures suggest, as some components recorded as imports from Poland and the Czech Republic may have been manufactured in China and shipped through those countries. Thermal cameras highlight the challenge Ukraine’s continued dependence on Chinese technology is particularly clear in thermal cameras used by military drones. Ukrainian companies design the cameras but rely on imported sensors that detect infrared radiation and lenses that cannot currently be manufactured domestically, industry representatives said. Germanium, an important raw material for these lenses, is widely available in China, helping Chinese manufacturers produce them at lower prices than European suppliers. Although the United States and Europe also manufacture thermal sensors, much of their output is used in their own markets. Taganskyi said Ukraine could produce thermal cameras entirely from European components, but limited production capacity and high costs remain major obstacles. Europe produces about 600,000 thermal sensors annually, compared with Ukraine’s estimated requirement of four million, he said. For now, some Chinese components remain essential. “Without this 5%, there is no camera,” Taganskyi said. Ukraine competes with Russia for Chinese supplies Experts say Russia is even more dependent on Chinese components than Ukraine, partly because Western sanctions have restricted its access to other markets. However, Moscow does not face the same concern that Beijing could favour Ukraine when supplying military-related technology. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently raised concerns about China’s closer commercial relationship with Russia. “They are slightly on Russia's side. And by ‘slightly,’ I mean not direct weapons supplies, but a greater openness to them, a greater willingness to help them rather than us,” Zelenskyy said. He added that even a limited preference could have significant consequences given China’s size. Competing with Russian buyers for supplies from the same Chinese factories also risks revealing Ukraine’s military requirements to Moscow. Babenko recalled that Ukrainian forces recovered a Russian drone fitted with advanced antennas for long-range reconnaissance and guidance. His company traced the technology to a Chinese supplier. When Ukrainian representatives sought to purchase several hundred units, the supplier initially refused before agreeing on the condition that the deal remain confidential because the technology had been developed for Russia, Babenko said. The incident reinforced the need for domestic manufacturing, he added, warning that Ukraine should prepare for a situation in which China fully sides with Russia. Companies find ways around export restrictions Since 2023, China has repeatedly tightened controls on exports of drones and related components. Further restrictions introduced this summer have prevented Ukrainian companies from directly purchasing some long-range civilian drones, motors, cameras and infrared imaging equipment from Chinese suppliers. To maintain supplies, Ukrainian defence companies have turned to intermediaries in third countries. Executives said the restrictions had disrupted deliveries and increased costs. One executive described a system in which partner companies purchase components in other countries before they are shipped through additional locations to Ukraine. Another executive said some companies alter product descriptions on official paperwork to get around export controls. Both spoke anonymously to avoid exposing their methods. Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Chinese manufacturers’ continued willingness to sell to Ukrainian buyers and the ability to route goods through third countries made it difficult to stop the trade completely. “This dependence is not going to go away in a war where both sides are burning through equipment at a horrifying scale,” said Samuel Bendett, an analyst of military robotics. “Where domestic industry cannot keep up, China can.”  

China’s exports rose 36.3 percent year-on-year in September, putting the country on track to exceed last year’s record trade surplus as the European Union and other trading partners increase pressure on Beijing to address trade imbalances, customs data showed Wednesday. The export growth exceeded economists’ expectations and accelerated from 25 percent in August. It was the fastest pace since February, according to FactSet data, supported by strong overseas demand for high-tech products, including semiconductors and automobiles. Imports also grew 31 percent year-on-year in September, up from 28.2 percent in August. However, China’s trade surplus widened to $133.5 billion last month from $119.1 billion in August. For January-September, the surplus reached $938 billion, raising expectations that it could surpass the record $1.2 trillion recorded last year. Strong exports have supported China’s economic growth this year despite weak domestic consumption and investment amid a prolonged property sector downturn. However, China’s export strength faces growing challenges, said Ecaterina Bigos, a senior market strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management. Although trade tensions between the United States and China have eased somewhat, the EU’s efforts to address trade imbalances are directly targeting China’s high-value exports, she said. Washington has launched an investigation into excess industrial capacity in China and other trading partners. However, the two countries agreed last month to extend their trade truce and reduce tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods. The 27-member EU has been struggling with a trade deficit with China exceeding $1.1 billion a day. EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said last week that an agreement had been reached with Beijing, including plans to halve Chinese hybrid car imports into the EU over the next few years. Cornell University economics and trade policy professor Eswar Prasad said many of China’s trading partners faced weak growth prospects and feared their manufacturing industries could be overwhelmed by Chinese exports. Policymakers have also raised concerns that a weaker Chinese yuan makes the country’s products cheaper in international markets, contributing to trade imbalances. Beijing has rejected claims that it deliberately devalues its currency to gain a competitive advantage, saying export growth reflects the strength of its industries. Customs data showed that the value of China’s semiconductor exports surged 108.1 percent year-on-year during the first nine months. Exports of automatic data processing equipment and parts increased 54.6 percent, while automobile exports rose 54.3%, driven by global demand for Chinese electric and hybrid vehicles. Bigos said China’s export-led growth depends on access to international markets. Although expanding trade with Southeast Asia and Latin America could help, those markets could not fully replace demand from Western economies. China’s dependence on high-tech exports could also face risks if global investment in artificial intelligence slows. Some US technology industry leaders have called for a worldwide pause in AI development over safety concerns. Max Zenglein, Asia-Pacific senior economist at The Conference Board, said a slowdown in global AI investment could pose a greater threat to China’s export growth than trade restrictions. Chinese leaders have set an economic growth target of 4.5-5 percent for 2026. The country is scheduled to release its July-September economic growth figures next week. The International Monetary Fund this week lowered its forecast for China’s 2026 economic growth to 4.5 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from its previous projection, warning that strong exports could not fully offset domestic economic weaknesses. Although Chinese officials have stressed the need to boost domestic demand, analysts say it has yet to become a priority this year. Authorities have recently introduced measures to support the economy, including subsidies for homebuyers’ mortgage interest payments.  

A new bridge linking China and North Korea is set to open on Thursday, more than a decade after the Chinese side was completed, in the latest indication of closer ties between the two countries. China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday that the two sides would hold a ceremony to mark the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge. The massive, three-kilometre bridge will connect the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju. The bridge was originally scheduled to become operational in 2014, but the deadline passed without any opening. By September that year, the North Korean side ended at a dirt ramp, with no customs or immigration facilities in sight. The delay prompted an unusually critical report in the Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, which quoted Dandong residents expressing frustration over the stalled project. They had hoped the bridge would bring economic benefits to their border city. Foreign analysts suggested at the time that Pyongyang was concerned about China's growing economic influence in North Korea. China remains North Korea's largest trading partner and a major ally, although Beijing has expressed disapproval of Pyongyang's missile tests over the years. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing in September 2025 to attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was the first time in decades that a North Korean leader had attended a Chinese military parade. The only existing bridge between the two countries was built in 1937, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. It carries a railway line as well as cars and trucks, but road traffic can cross in only one direction at a time.

A federal judge on Tuesday extended an order blocking the Trump administration from banning reporters for three news outlets from the White House, as the extraordinary case pitting the president against the media makes its way through the legal system. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that CNN, MS NOW and Politico are likely to succeed on their constitutional free speech and due process claims. "Still," he added, "no one should interpret the Court's decision to suggest that President Trump's concerns about accuracy and fairness in the media's reporting are unfounded, or that the government is powerless when its true aim is to protect national security when classified information is unlawfully disclosed." Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President Donald Trump, previously ordered the White House to restore the reporters' "hard pass" press credentials while he weighed their claims. With that temporary order due to expire on Tuesday, the judge issued a preliminary injunction that preserves the status quo while the case is pending.

Solar energy kits are increasingly helping keep the lights on in disaster-hit areas and humanitarian crises, including Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, as improving technology and falling costs make renewable energy more accessible. Every day, Mohammed Saber places a rectangular solar panel on the roof of the bamboo-and-tarpaulin shack where he and his family have lived for years after fleeing the Myanmar military's brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017. The panel is part of a portable solar kit provided to the family as humanitarian aid six years ago. Since then, it has remained their primary source of electricity in the refugee camp in Teknaf, Bangladesh, making their daily lives much easier. "We can now charge our phones, cook with light, children can study at night and use fans during the hot season," said Saber, 35. From flood-affected areas of Nepal to refugee camps in Africa, solar energy is increasingly becoming part of disaster relief efforts as technology advances, prices decline and humanitarian organisations recognise electricity as a basic necessity. Experts say the need for renewable energy solutions has grown as climate change fuels and intensifies extreme weather events, while wars, sanctions and political instability continue to make fossil fuel prices volatile. Portable solar kits offer flexible solutions Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, an independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development, said solar kits could be particularly valuable when disasters strike and humanitarian needs rise. These compact, all-in-one systems use solar panels and operate independently of the electricity grid, making them easy to transport and recharge, she said. "In emergency situations, solar kits can be deployed immediately," Rosenberg-Jansen said, adding that they are especially useful when floodwaters rise rapidly, front lines shift during conflicts or damaged roads make transportation difficult. The kits come in various forms, ranging from solar lanterns, torches and home systems to solar heating pads and electric cookstoves powered by solar energy, she said. Falling costs expand use of solar energy Rosenberg-Jansen said solar panels are less vulnerable to price shocks than fossil fuels, which can be expensive and difficult to transport to disaster-hit areas. Solar energy was considered a luxury just a few decades ago, but technological advancements and large-scale manufacturing have made it more affordable, she said. Yuriy Boyechko, chief executive officer of US-based nonprofit Hope For Ukraine, which provides solar kits to families in war-affected Ukraine, said the technology had also become easier to operate. "We have grandmas and grandpas who are around 75-80 years old ... receiving kits," Boyechko said. "It's just a matter of plug (in) and play." Solar-powered solutions are becoming increasingly common in humanitarian operations. On the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan's economic hub, a tuberculosis clinic run by Doctors Without Borders relies on solar energy. In South Sudan's Renk county, the UN migration agency has installed solar-powered water filtration systems for families displaced by the war in neighbouring Sudan. Following massive floods in Nepal in August that killed 1,455 people and left 5,285 missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals, solar kits were distributed by local and international organisations, including Australia-based charity SolarBuddy. Funding shortages, bureaucracy hamper progress Despite the growing use of solar energy, integrating it into humanitarian operations remains challenging, said Mark Gibson of the Global Platform for Action (GPA), which promotes access to affordable, reliable and clean energy. Aid agencies have long relied on established systems, often involving diesel generators supplied through long-term leases and agreements. Switching to solar energy requires confidence in new technologies and the development of alternative distribution networks, sometimes in high-risk environments. Cuts in international donor funding have also weakened or eliminated some emerging practices, said Aimee Jenks, a programme leader at GPA. "Much of the technical expertise in the humanitarian sector on energy has been cut," she said. "That's now retracting a lot of progress." Although solar energy has become cheaper, its cost remains beyond the reach of many communities and humanitarian organisations. Boyechko said Hope For Ukraine expects to have distributed more than 3,200 solar kits by the end of 2026. However, funding constraints have limited the pace of distribution. "But it took us two years to get to that number, because of funding needs," he said. "We have a waiting list of about 20,000 families. We just cannot keep up with demand." While no energy source is without drawbacks, experts say the shift towards renewable energy could reduce dependence on polluting fossil fuels. For Saber, whose family is among more than one million refugees from Myanmar's Rohingya ethnic and religious minority now living in Bangladesh, the solar kit has made a tangible difference. "It's improved my family's life," he said.