United News of Bangladesh

At least 39 people were killed in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, the country’s health ministry said, as hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah persist despite a ceasefire announcement. One of the deadliest strikes hit the southern town of Saksakiyeh, where at least seven people, including a child, were killed and 15 others injured, among them three children, according to the ministry. The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah operatives using a structure for military purposes and acknowledged reports of civilian casualties. It added that precautions were taken to minimise harm to civilians, including the use of precision weapons and aerial surveillance, and that the incident is under review. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern regions on Saturday. In another incident, an Israeli drone strike in Nabatieh targeted a motorbike carrying a Syrian man and his 12-year-old daughter. The health ministry said the pair were hit in successive strikes, killing the father and critically injuring the girl, who was undergoing surgery. Hezbollah also launched a drone attack into northern Israel, wounding three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have continued since a ceasefire deal announced on April 16. Israel says its strikes are aimed at Hezbollah-linked targets, while the group has responded with rocket and drone attacks. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 120 people have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past week, including women and children, though it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon along the border, aiming to establish what they describe as a Hezbollah-free buffer zone. Reports indicate widespread destruction in some villages, drawing concern from rights groups. Since early March, nearly 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon, while Israeli authorities report 17 soldiers and three civilians killed in related violence on both sides of the border. Source: BBC

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy warned  it would launch a “heavy assault” on U.S. bases and vessels in the region if Iranian oil tankers or commercial ships come under attack, even as a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington appears to be holding. The warning, reported by Iranian state media on Saturday, came a day after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, raising fresh concerns over the stability of the month-long ceasefire. The U.S. military said the vessels were attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports. Meanwhile, Bahrain, host to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, said it had arrested 41 individuals allegedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Authorities claimed the group had been in contact with the Guard and collected funds intended to support what they described as “terrorist operations.” Iran cautioned Bahrain against aligning with the U.S., warning of “severe consequences” and highlighting the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route that has largely been blocked since the conflict began on Feb. 28. The ongoing blockade of the strait has disrupted global oil supplies, driven up fuel prices and unsettled international markets. The U.S. Central Command said its forces have turned back dozens of vessels and disabled several since enforcing the blockade in April. Amid rising tensions, Britain announced it was deploying a warship to the Middle East in preparation for a possible multinational mission to safeguard commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities subside. France has also moved its aircraft carrier group into the Red Sea as part of preparations. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue, with the United States awaiting Iran’s response to a proposed agreement aimed at reopening the strait and curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme. U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated threats of intensified military action if Iran does not agree to the deal. Pakistan said it has been engaged in continuous diplomatic contacts with both Washington and Tehran to help sustain the ceasefire and reach a broader peace agreement. Russia and Saudi Arabia have also called for a long-term diplomatic solution. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s proposal to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium remains under consideration as part of potential negotiations, suggesting it could be placed under international monitoring. Despite ongoing diplomacy, uncertainty remains over Iran’s leadership, with its new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei yet to make a public appearance since the conflict began. However, Iranian officials have said he is in good health. Officials from Egypt and Qatar have also emphasized that dialogue remains the only viable path to resolving the crisis.

An international advocacy group Saturday condemned Niger 's suspension of nine French media outlets accused of “threatening public order and national security.” Reporters Without Borders called the charges “fabricated” in a post on X. It condemned a “coordinated strategy to repress press freedom” and called for the decision’s reversal. The National Observatory of Communication, the West African nation's media regulatory authority, said in a statement late Friday that the suspension of France 24, RFI, France Afrique Média, LSI Africa, AFP, TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart was necessary to “preserve peace, social cohesion and the stability of institutions.” It accused the affected outlets of “repeatedly broadcasting content likely to seriously endanger public order” and undermine the morale of defense and security forces operating in the region. Niger, alongside neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, are ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens. Since seizing power, the juntas have cut ties with France and other Western powers, created their own security alliance and turned to Russia for military support to fight extremist insurgencies. The security situation in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has worsened in recent times, analysts say, with a record number of attacks by Islamic extremists. In January, Islamic militants attacked an air force base in Niger’s capital, killing four soldiers. Niger’s military ruler Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast of supporting the armed group behind the attack, without providing any evidence to support the claim. Military leaders in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have also cracked down on political dissent and journalists. Niger’s media regulatory authority did not specify the duration of the suspensions or provide detailed examples of the content that prompted the action.  

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding but has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. On Friday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attention to “deadlines,” according to state-run IRNA. Also on Friday, a top Iranian official said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was in “complete health” and eventually would appear in public. Khamenei hasn’t been seen or heard in public since the war began, fueling speculation about his status. Mazaher Hosseini, affiliated with the office of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was Mojtaba’s father, made the comment at a pro-government gathering. Hosseini said Mojtaba had suffered knee and back injuries in the war’s opening attacks but they’ve largely healed. Diplomacy continues. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has been in contact with the U.S. and Iran “day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal. Russia’s foreign ministry said Saturday that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, was calling for diplomatic efforts to reach a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war. Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution, according to a readout of a Saturday phone call between the two foreign ministers.

Countries around the world are preparing to deal with the more than 140 passengers and crew members on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands. The vessel is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa, early Sunday. At least three passengers have died, and several other people have been infected. Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. Some scientists believe the Andes virus implicated in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. But the World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public from the outbreak is low. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure. Authorities and the cruise operator have been providing updates, but some key information is still lacking. Here’s what we don’t know: Where the outbreak originated Argentine investigators suspect a Dutch couple may have first contracted the virus while on a bird-watching trip before they boarded the cruise ship in Argentina on April 1. But no organization has confirmed where or how they acquired the disease. Argentina’s Health Ministry has zeroed in on the nation’s southernmost town, Ushuaia. Officials plan to travel there in the coming days, according to a written statement to The Associated Press. What happens next to the remaining passengers Spanish authorities are preparing to receive the remaining passengers and crew members on Tenerife. Officials said Friday that passengers will be evacuated in small boats to buses only once their repatriation flights are ready to take them. The United States agreed to send a plane to the Canary Islands to pick up its citizens, as will the British government. American passengers will be brought to a dedicated biocontainment and quarantine unit in Nebraska for assessment, officials said Friday. Other countries have not yet made their plans public, and it is not clear how long boat passengers will have to wait for their flights. Spain has requested medically equipped planes for passengers experiencing symptoms, Virginia Barcones, the country’s head of emergency services, said Friday. How many people may have been exposed Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions and Dutch officials said Thursday that more than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship at the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic on April 24. They included a Dutch woman who disembarked with her husband’s body. He was the first passenger to die, but it wasn’t until May 2 that health authorities first confirmed hantavirus in a ship passenger. The delay left countries scrambling to track the passengers who got off the ship some two weeks earlier. The passengers included a resident of the remote island of Tristan da Cunha who has been hospitalized with symptoms of hantavirus, according to the British Foreign Office. Stephen Doughty, the U.K. minister of overseas territories, said in a message to the British overseas territory that his thoughts were with “the islander currently in hospital and their spouse who is isolating.” The whereabouts of all of the passengers Many of the passengers who disembarked at St. Helena traveled on to other countries, including the Dutch woman whose husband died on board. She flew to Johannesburg then briefly boarded a plane preparing to fly to Amsterdam. She was removed because she was too ill to travel, and later died. South African and Dutch authorities are trying to trace the whereabouts of anyone who had contact with the woman during her travels. A flight attendant who had contact with her has tested negative for hantavirus after reporting symptoms. Some governments, like the United Kingdom, have confirmed the whereabouts of their citizens who left the boat. However, U.K. officials do not know or have not made public how many others they have come into contact with since. In the U.S., some state officials said they were monitoring a small number of residents who were on the ship and already went home. None has symptoms.

A Frontier Airlines plane struck a pedestrian on the runway while preparing for takeoff at Denver International Airport late Friday, prompting an aborted takeoff, reports of smoke in the cabin and an emergency evacuation. The aircraft, Flight 4345, was bound for Los Angeles International Airport when the incident occurred at around 11:19 pm, airport authorities said. According to air traffic control audio, the pilot told the control tower: “We’re stopping on the runway. We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.” The pilot later reported that there were “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.” Airport and airline officials did not immediately disclose the condition of the pedestrian. Frontier said the Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. The airline said smoke was reported inside the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff, though it was not immediately clear whether the smoke was related to the collision. Passengers were evacuated using emergency slides and transported by bus back to the terminal. The airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that Runway 17L would remain closed while the incident is investigated.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has moved to reassure residents of Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife ahead of the expected arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers exposed to hantavirus, saying the public health risk remains low. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew, is en route to the Spanish island and is expected to arrive early Sunday. The vessel is believed to have been affected by a hantavirus outbreak during its voyage. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, is scheduled to travel to Tenerife on Saturday to oversee coordination of disembarkation procedures. Concerns have been raised among some local residents who fear possible transmission of the virus, while some passengers have also expressed anxiety about their reception upon arrival. “I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word “outbreak” and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment.,” Tedros said in a message to Tenerife residents. “But I need you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he added. According to health officials, three people have died and five passengers who left the ship have tested positive for hantavirus infection. The virus is typically transmitted through contact with contaminated rodent droppings and is not easily spread between humans, although rare person-to-person transmission has been linked to the Andes strain. The WHO, Spanish authorities and the cruise operator Oceanwide stated that no one currently on board the vessel is showing symptoms. Tedros also said the WHO continues to monitor the situation and coordinate response measures, adding that the risk to both the Canary Islands and the wider world remains low.

Israel will release two foreign activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted last week and will later transfer them to immigration authorities for deportation, according to the rights group representing them. Adalah said in a statement: “Today, the Shabak Israeli intelligence agency informed Adalah’s legal team that Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) activists and leaders Thiago Avila and Saif Abukeshek would be released from Israeli detention today, Saturday 9 May 2026.” It added that the two activists “will be handed to Israel’s immigration authorities later today and kept in custody pending their deportation”. The activists are Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Thiago Avila of Brazil. They were detained and taken to Israel for questioning after the flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off Athens last week. #From Al Jazeera

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Europe remains firmly committed to preserving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization despite differences with the United States over the conflict involving Iran. Speaking at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Merz said European countries are determined to keep the transatlantic alliance strong. “We are really willing to keep this alliance alive for the future,” he said. Merz acknowledged that disagreements exist but stressed that Europe and the United States share the same objective: ending the conflict and ensuring that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. “We know that there are some differences. We know that we are seeing challenges, all of us,” he said. “But our final goal is to bring this conflict to an end and to guarantee that Iran is not able to produce nuclear weapons.” He added that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a common goal for both Europe and the United States.  #From Al Jazeera

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his Victory Day address in Moscow’s Red Square to defend the war in Ukraine and criticise NATO, as the annual parade took place on a reduced scale this year. Addressing military personnel and a limited number of foreign leaders, Putin described the conflict in Ukraine as a “just” war and accused NATO of backing Kyiv. “They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the whole bloc of NATO. And despite this, our heroes move forward,” he said, referring to Russian troops involved in what Moscow calls its “special military operation.” The ceremony marked Russia’s most important national holiday, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. However, celebrations were more subdued compared to previous years. For the first time in recent years, the parade did not feature armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles, though large numbers of troops marched across Red Square under heightened security. Putin began his speech by honouring the sacrifices of Soviet soldiers during World War II, saying their legacy continues to inspire Russian forces today. “The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” he said. He also praised the contributions of ordinary citizens, including scientists, doctors, teachers and workers, to the country’s war effort. Ahead of the event, Russia and Ukraine agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump. Among the leaders present at the parade were Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Fewer international leaders attended compared to last year’s event. Following the ceremony, Putin laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and later hosted a reception at the Kremlin. Victory Day events were also held earlier in Russia’s eastern regions, including Vladivostok, where people took part in the traditional “Immortal Regiment” march to honour war veterans.Source: BBC