United News of Bangladesh

North Korea has expressed support for Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader and strongly condemned what it called the “illegal” attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, according to state media. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday quoted a spokesperson from North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that Pyongyang respects Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike at the start of the conflict on February 28. “Regarding the official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader,” the spokesperson said. The North Korean official also criticized the US and Israel for launching “unlawful military attacks” on Iran, stating that such actions undermine regional peace, international stability, and Iran’s political system and territorial integrity. “This is unacceptable and must be condemned and rejected by the entire world,” the statement added. KCNA recalled that North Korea had already denounced the US-Israel war on Iran, describing it as “gangster-like conduct” in the Middle East. The report also highlighted that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the country’s newest and largest naval destroyer, the Choe Hyon. According to KCNA, Kim emphasized the importance of “maintaining and expanding a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent.” This marks the second missile test from the destroyer under Kim’s supervision, who previously praised efforts to equip the Navy with nuclear capabilities. North Korea has long resisted US efforts to dismantle its nuclear program, citing the need to defend against potential threats from South Korea and its allies. Recent statements from both North Korea and the Trump administration have indicated a potential willingness to resume high-level talks, with Kim suggesting that the two nations could “get along” if the US recognizes North Korea as a nuclear power. #From AlJazeera

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, slammed the United States and South Korea for going ahead with their annual joint military exercises, calling them dangerous for global security and warning of “terrible consequences” if North Korea’s safety is threatened. Her remarks came Tuesday, a day after the allies launched the 11-day ‘Freedom Shield’ drills, which involve thousands of troops and coincide with heightened U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Without explicitly mentioning the Iran conflict, Kim Yo Jong said the exercises undermine regional stability at a time when global security is “collapsing rapidly” and conflicts are erupting worldwide due to “reckless acts of outrageous international rogues.” Freedom Shield is a largely computer-simulated exercise aimed at testing U.S.-South Korea joint operational capabilities, often accompanied by the ‘Warrior Shield’ field training program. North Korea has long described such drills as rehearsals for invasion and frequently responds with its own weapons tests, while the allies maintain the exercises are defensive. Highlighting Pyongyang’s growing nuclear capabilities, Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would continue strengthening its “destructive power” and repeatedly demonstrate its war deterrence against perceived threats. Meanwhile, South Korean President ‘Lee Jae Myung’acknowledged that some U.S. defensive systems, including Patriot missiles, may be moved from South Korea to support Middle East operations but stressed such relocations would not seriously weaken Seoul’s defenses against the North. North Korea has criticized U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as “illegal acts of aggression” disguised as peacekeeping. Amid a diplomatic freeze with Washington and Seoul, Kim Jong Un has leaned into a Cold War-style foreign policy, boosting ties with Moscow and Beijing, while portraying Pyongyang as part of a united front against the U.S. Pyongyang and Tehran were among the few nations supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have been accused of supplying military aid to Moscow. On a separate note, South Korea’s ‘Unification Ministry’said train services between Pyongyang and Beijing may resume this week for the first time in six years, potentially expanding exchanges and trade after border restrictions eased in 2022. Kim has also sought closer ties with China, meeting President ‘Xi Jinping’last September for their first summit in six years.

Counting in Nepal’s parliamentary elections is ongoing as the party of rapper-turned-politician and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah is on track to secure a two-thirds majority, a historic outcome in the country’s dual-voting system. Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has so far won 124 of 165 directly elected seats and 58 of 110 proportional representation seats, leaving it just two seats short of a supermajority. If achieved, it would mark the first time in decades that a single party dominates Nepal’s lower house. The 35-year-old Shah also defeated four-time Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the Japha 5 constituency, a traditional stronghold of Oli’s Communist Party, while other RSP candidates beat senior leaders including Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa. Supporters celebrated across the country, ringing bells – the RSP’s election symbol. The elections follow deadly Gen Z protests six months ago over corruption, inequality, and elite rule that toppled Oli’s government. Analysts say the results reflect voters’ desire for political renewal and stronger governance. Despite the landslide, constitutional changes remain limited as the upper house is separately elected. Nepal’s new parliament building, damaged and unfinished during the protests, is expected to host sessions by late March. International leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have congratulated Shah and the RSP. The vote also brought record youth representation, with 12 lawmakers under 30 securing seats through direct elections, highlighting the growing influence of Nepal’s younger generation.   With inputs from BBC

Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid on Sunday said the country does not intend to escalate hostilities with Pakistan and favors resolving tensions through dialogue. In an interview with TOLOnews, Mujahid emphasized that Afghanistan has not provoked recent clashes but has been forced to respond to incursions. “Our message to the mediating countries is that we do not seek war and that we believe in negotiations,” he said. Military tensions between the two neighbors have risen in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of initiating violence.

Preliminary and partial results released Saturday showed a new political party led by an ex-rapper is in front in Nepal's parliamentary election, the country's first since last year's youth-led revolt. The Rastriya Swatantra, or National Independent, party, had already won 60 of 165 directly elected seats and was leading in 61 other constituencies in the results published by Nepal's Election Commission. Its prime ministerial candidate is rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, who won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race and emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. The 35-year-old highlighted health and education for poor Nepalis as a key focus of his campaign, which rode a wave of public anger toward traditional political parties. Shah, running directly against Oli in a southeastern district, won the seat with a wide margin securing almost four times as many votes as the former prime minister. The 13 seats announced so far for other parties went to the Nepal Congress party and two communist parties. Voters are directly electing 165 members to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Parliament. The remaining 110 seats in the 275-member body will be allocated through a proportional representation system, under which political parties are allocated seats based on their share of the vote. Vote counting was continuing in most of the country's constituencies Saturday and final results are expected within the next two days. Ballot boxes were being collected from remote mountain villages in the northern parts of the country using helicopters. The election is widely seen as a three-way contest, shaped by voter frustration over widespread corruption and demands for greater government accountability. The Rastriya Swatantra Party was founded only in 2022, but gained huge support this election, posing a strong challenge to two long-dominant parties: the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) The 2025 protests against corruption and poor governance were triggered by a social media ban before snowballing into a popular revolt against the government. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured when protesters attacked government buildings and police opened fire on them.

Indian authorities have provided refuge to 183 sailors aboard the Iranian warship IRIS Lavan after the vessel requested urgent assistance amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. According to a Indian government official, the ship sent a distress call on February 28, the same day the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, reports Al Jazeera. India approved the ship’s berthing in Kochi on March 1, and it has been docked there since March 4. The government has arranged accommodation for the sailors during their stay. The announcement comes amid criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, which had participated in Indian-hosted naval exercises, was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. The attack killed more than 80 sailors, rescued 32, and left hundreds missing. India has so far avoided publicly criticizing the U.S. over the incident. Officials stressed that the Lavan docking was granted due to urgent technical issues and was unrelated to the previous attack on the Dena.

The European Union (EU) congratulated the interim government of Nepal and the electoral and security authorities for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they took place, said the EU Spokesperson in a statement on Friday. The EU said it looks forward to further deepening our longstanding partnership with Nepal and to advancing our shared priorities.

Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged multiple cross-border attacks on Friday, each claiming to have killed dozens of the other side’s troops in the deadliest fighting yet between the neighbors, a conflict Islamabad has declared an “open war.” The clashes, now in their ninth day, have continued despite repeated international calls for restraint. A suicide car bombing in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, killed one civilian and injured 18 others, with suspicion likely falling on the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Defense Ministry said its forces destroyed several Pakistani military posts along the border in Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunar, Paktia, and Khost, killing dozens of Pakistani soldiers. Meanwhile, Pakistani state media reported heavy losses inflicted on Afghan forces and the TTP by airstrikes and ground operations, without specifying numbers. Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP, a claim Kabul denies, and says military operations will continue until Afghanistan curbs militants operating from its territory. The clashes have displaced roughly 115,000 people in Afghanistan and around 3,000 in Pakistan, according to the U.N. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan has urged for a halt in the fighting, saying it’s worsening Afghanistan’s already grave humanitarian situation. The mission, known as UNAMA, said Friday on X that so far, 56 civilians have been killed inside Afghanistan. Casualty claims vary widely: Afghanistan says 150 Pakistani soldiers have been killed since the fighting began, while Pakistan claims 527 Afghan soldiers dead. Independent verification is difficult due to the region’s inaccessibility and ongoing militant activity. Efforts at mediation are underway: Turkey and Malaysia have offered to broker ceasefires, but a resolution remains uncertain following the collapse of a truce signed in Qatar and extended in Istanbul last year.

Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said Friday. Hafid in a statement to media said that she just signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox. The implementation will start gradually on March 28. “The basis is clear. Our children face increasingly real threats. From exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and most importantly addiction. The government is here so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giant of algorithms.” Hafid said.  

An Indian fighter jet crashed during a training flight in the northeast, killing its two pilots, the Indian air force said Friday. The two-seater long-range Sukhoi fighter jet crashed in Assam state’s Karbi Anglong district after it took off from an airbase late Thursday, IAF said in a statement. Officials were investigating the cause of the crash. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the two pilots. The Russian-designed Su-30MKI is produced under license by India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The Indian air force operates over 260 of them. India has had other crashes of the jet in June 2024 and January 2023.