World

DHAKA — Mobs vowing to guard Bangladesh's student-led revolution roamed the site of a planned rally for ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, beating up some of her suspected supporters with bamboo rods and pipes.

Hasina, 76, fled to neighbouring India by helicopter last week as student-led protests flooded Dhaka's streets in a dramatic end to her iron-fisted rule of 15 years.

The interim government replacing her, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has invited UN investigators to probe the violent "atrocities" that accompanied her ouster, which saw hundreds killed by security forces.

Thursday is the anniversary of the 1975 assassination during a military coup of Hasina's father, independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a date her government had declared a national holiday.

Huge rallies around Bangladesh marked the occasion in previous years but those glad to see Hasina toppled were eager to ensure supporters of her Awami League Party did not have a chance to regroup.

"Fugitive and dictator Sheikh Hasina has ordered her goons and militia forces to come to the site so they can produce a counter-revolution," Imraul Hasan Kayes, 26, told AFP.

"We are here to guard our revolution so that it doesn't slip out of our hands."

With no police in sight, hundreds of men — most of them not students — formed a human barricade across the street leading to Hasina's old family home, where her father and many of her relatives were gunned down 49 years ago.

The landmark was a museum to her father until it was torched and vandalised by a mob hours after Hasina's fall.

Several people that the crowd suspected of being Awami League supporters were thrashed with sticks, while others were forcibly escorted away.

Hasina, in her first public statement since her abrupt departure, asked supporters this week to "pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying" outside the landmark.

Cult of personality 

She was accused while in office of establishing a cult of personality around her father, who appears on every banknote.

Hasina changed the constitution to require a portrait of him appeared in every school, government office and diplomatic mission.

"Her government even made it an offence to criticise him online, punishable with up to 10 years in prison," Tom Kean of the International Crisis Group told AFP.

"While many people still have great respect for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his achievements... this had curtailed any real debate over his legacy."

Thousands of civil servants were required during her tenure to join public demonstrations on the anniversary of her father's death.

Awami League organisers would also set up temporary public address systems around Dhaka to blare out Mujib's old speeches as well as devotional songs praising his leadership.

The interim government cancelled observance of the politically charged holiday on Tuesday, requiring bureaucrats to remain in their offices.

And the prevailing sounds in the city of 20 million people on Thursday were the horns and engine hums of its perennially gridlocked traffic.

Arrests 

Hasina's statement on Tuesday came hours after a court in Dhaka opened a murder case against her, two senior Awami League allies and four police officers related to the unrest.

Several other top politicians from the party have been detained in unrelated probes, including former law minister Anisul Huq and business adviser Salman Rahman.

Both men were in court on Wednesday under heavy police guard, handcuffed and wearing helmets for their protection.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, formerly the telecoms minister and responsible for a nationwide internet blackout aimed at quelling anti-Hasina protests, was expected to be produced in court later Thursday according to local media reports.

'Atrocities'

Yunus, 84, returned from Europe last Thursday to head a temporary administration that faces the monumental challenge of steering democratic reforms.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance, credited with helping millions of Bangladeshis out of grinding poverty.

He took office as "chief adviser" to a caretaker administration — all fellow civilians bar a retired brigadier general — and has said he wants to hold elections "within a few months".

Hasina's government was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killing of thousands of her political opponents.

The interim Cabinet said that UN investigators would arrive next week to probe "atrocities" committed during the protests that ousted her.

A spokesperson for Volker Turk confirmed the fact-finding team and said the UN rights chief was "very committed" to supporting the interim government's "successful transition".

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine on Thursday claimed fresh advances in its cross-border offensive into Russia, where it said it had seized over a thousand square kilometres, the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

Russia said it had recaptured a first village from Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region and announced it was sending "additional forces" to the neighbouring Belgorod region.

Ukraine said it now controlled dozens of settlements and Sudzha, a town eight kilometres from the border.

"We have taken control of 1,150 square kilometres of territory and 82 settlements," said top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky.

Syrsky's troops launched the offensive on August 6, breaking months of setbacks for the Ukrainian army that has been battling a Russian invasion for over two years.

The top general also told President Volodymyr Zelensky his army had set up an administrative office "to maintain law and order and meet the priority needs of the population in the controlled territories".

Zelensky announced "the completion of the liberation of the town of Sudzha from the Russian military".

120,000 Russians displaced 

At an Orthodox church in the centre of Sumy, the regional hub across the border from Kursk, dozens of mourners gathered Thursday to pay their final respects to six Ukrainian servicemen killed since Kyiv launched its offensive. 

Tearful family members of the victims received a steady stream of friends and relatives wearing black and clutching wreaths as the priest intoned a funeral mass and incense hung in the air. 

"It is hard to say goodbye to them, because we want them to live forever, to live among us as honoured sons of their homeland," the priest told mourners.

"Our task is to pray for our heroic fighters and their families." 

Pallbearers lifted the coffins one by one for burial as a choir sang hymns in harmony. Air raid sirens echoed over Sumy as the service ended.

In Kursk, AFP reporters saw around 500 evacuees from border areas queueing for food and clothes being distributed by the Russian Red Cross.

Russia says over 120,000 people have left or been evacuated.

 'Completed destruction' 

The assault took Russian troops by surprise and triggered the evacuation of tens of thousands.

The fighting killed at least 12 civilians and wounded 121 others according to Russian authorities, who have not released a toll since Monday.

Moscow scrambled reinforcement and announced the recapture of a first village in the Kursk region on Thursday.

The ministry said the army had "completed destruction of the enemy and restored control of the settlement of Krupets."

The Russian army also announced measures to prevent attacks on neighbouring regions, particularly Belgorod. 

The Russian army has prepared "concrete actions" to defend the Belgorod region from Ukrainian attacks, minister Andrei Belousov said at a meeting with officials including Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

They include "the allocation of additional forces."

Both Kursk and Belgorod regions have seen small incursions since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine had however never launched an assault of this scale. 

Intensity of attacks 

Kyiv officials have argued the offensive was a needed act of "self-defence" and experts suggest it could be aimed at alleviating pressure from the eastern front.

Ukrainian troops are however still struggling in the eastern Donbas region, a key prize for Moscow. 

"Most Russian attacks are taking place" in the eastern Donbas," Zelensky said, adding: "We are paying maximum defensive attention."

Russia said Thursday its forces had captured Ivanivka, a frontline village just 15 kilometres from the Kyiv-held transport hub of Pokrovsk in east Ukraine.

Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for the Russian army.

In a daily briefing, the Russian defence ministry said its army units had "liberated the village of Ivanovka" in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, using the Russian name for the village.

Russian forces have been inching towards Pokrovsk for months, taking a string of tiny villages in recent months as they seek to reach the outskirts of the city.


UNITED NATIONS, United States - Nearly half a billion children are facing twice as many days of extreme heat each year -- or more -- than their grandparents did, the UN said on Tuesday, warning of deadly consequences.

As climate change continues to push up temperatures globally, one in five children -- some 466 million kids -- live in areas that are registering "at least double the number of extremely hot days every year" compared to 60 years ago, the UN children's agency UNICEF said.

"The bodies of young children are not like little adults, they have much more vulnerability to extreme heat," UNICEF advocacy chief Lily Caprani told AFP, also warning of dangers for pregnant women.

Additionally, children lose out from education when schools are forced to close due to high temperatures -- which has affected at least 80 million children in 2024 so far.

UNICEF used days reaching 35 degrees Celsius as its benchmark, comparing average temperatures in the 2020-2024 period to the 1960s.

Such hot days -- as well as the means to cope with high temperatures, such as air conditioning -- affect the entire world, it noted.

Children in West and Central Africa are the most exposed, with 123 million children -- 39 per cent of the kids in the region -- facing a third of each year with 95-degree days or higher.

At the higher end, in Mali, for example -- where air conditioning is out of reach for millions and blackouts can leave fans idled -- more than 200 days a year can reach 95 degrees or higher.

In Latin America, meanwhile, 48 million children are facing double the number of 95-degree or higher days than 60 years ago.

Worldwide, the "trajectory is getting worse and worse for these children", Caprani said.

Children "are fragile and they breathe very quickly. They can't even sweat like an adult does. They are much more vulnerable to heat stress and it can be literally deadly," she added.

High temperatures can contribute to child malnutrition and leave kids more vulnerable to disease, especially malaria and dengue, which spread in warm climates, UNICEF warned.

Excessive heat can also negatively impact neurodevelopment and mental health.

UNICEF is calling for increased education for parents to know the signs of heat stroke, better training for medical personnel, and investing in air conditioning in schools -- where, even when classes aren't canceled, learning can be made difficult by hot conditions.

Yet, the bigger push remains in reining in climate change, caused by humanity's use of fossil fuels.

"As governments are currently drafting their national climate action plans, they can do so with the ambition and knowledge that today's children and future generations will have to live in the world they leave behind," UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said in a statement.

KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had "advanced well" into Russia's Kursk region, as Kyiv's biggest cross-border attack stretched into a second week.

The Ukrainian army entered the Kursk region on August 6, capturing dozens of settlements in the biggest offensive by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

"Today we have advanced well in the Kursk region. We are achieving our strategic goal," Zelensky said in his evening address.

He had also spoken of gains of "one to two kilometres (0.6-1.2 miles) in different areas since the beginning of the day" in a social media post earlier on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said Ukraine would create a "buffer zone" in the region to prevent Russian cross-border strikes.

"The creation of a buffer zone in the Kursk region is a step to protect our border communities from daily hostile shelling," he said.

The neighbouring Russian region of Belgorod declared its own state of emergency, as the governor warned the situation was "extremely difficult" due to Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks.

An AFP analysis of data provided by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicated Ukrainian troops had advanced over an area of at least 800 square kilometres of Russia as of Monday.

Russia said it had repelled Ukrainian attempts to push further into five areas of Kursk.

"The attempts by enemy mobile units using armoured equipment to break through deeper into Russian territory have been repelled," its defence ministry said.

Since launching its invasion in February 2022, Russia has captured territory in southern and eastern Ukraine and subjected Ukrainian cities to missile and drone barrages.

After re-capturing some lost territory in 2022, a long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive last year largely petered out.

 'It's very worrying' 

Ukraine said Tuesday it would not hold on to Russian land it captured and offered to stop raids if Moscow agreed a "just peace".

"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace... the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defence forces into Russia will stop," foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said.

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday the incursion had given Russian President Vladimir Putin a "real dilemma".

More than 120,000 Russians have fled their homes in Kursk's border areas.

Ukraine said it would "open humanitarian corridors" for civilians in the captured territory so they can evacuate towards Russia or Ukraine.

It also said it would let "international humanitarian organisations" into the area.

Footage from Ukrainian TSN news, purportedly taken inside the Kursk town of Sudzha, showed Ukrainian soldiers climbing atop a building and removing a Russian flag, shouting "Glory to Ukraine!".

Russians in Moscow told AFP they were concerned by Ukraine's operation, which caught the Kremlin off guard.

"I have relatives living there and they refuse to leave. It's really hard," said salesperson Yulia Rusakova.

"This whole situation is a big blow. It's very hard to lead a normal, calm life, knowing that such things are happening there," she said.

Olga Raznoglazova, a 36-year-old account manager visiting from the Kursk region, said she felt the operation had brought the war closer.

"Now, when it is happening right next door to us... it is a completely different feeling," she said. "It's very worrying."

Putin has vowed to "dislodge" Ukrainian troops from Russian territory, accusing the neighbour of using the operation to "improve its negotiating position" in any future talks.

Blindfolded POWs 

On the Ukraine side of a border with Kursk, AFP reporters saw evidence of the intensity of the fighting.

Concrete fortifications lay toppled and the remains of security and customs buildings could be seen caved in.

On the road, around 10 blindfolded and bound men in Russian military fatigues were being driven in a military vehicle away from the border crossing in the direction of the city of Sumy on Tuesday.

The Russians "didn't protect the border", a Ukrainian serviceman who took part in the offensive and identified himself as Ruzhyk told AFP in Sumy region.

"They only had anti-personnel mines scattered around trees at the side of the road and a few mines that they managed to quickly throw along the highways," he said.

Separately, Ukrainian forces fired long-range drones at the Voronezh, Kursk, Savasleyka and Borisoglebsk airfields in central and western Russia overnight, a source in Kyiv's security services told AFP. 

The operation was the "largest attack on Russian military airfields" during the war and aimed to stop them being used to launch strikes, the source said.

BEIJING — China's top diplomat Wang Yi will hold talks with Myanmar's junta chief, a top Myanmar general said on Tuesday, during a Southeast Asian trip this week that also includes Thailand.

China's foreign ministry said earlier that Wang would travel to Myanmar and Thailand from Wednesday until Saturday and co-chair a regional foreign ministers' forum.

A senior Myanmar military official, who requested anonymity in order to talk to the media, said Wang would hold talks in Myanmar with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

However, Wang would not meet democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the military since it seized power in 2021, the official said.

China is a major ally and arms supplier to the Myanmar junta, but analysts say it also maintains ties with armed ethnic groups that hold territory near its border.

There have been repeated clashes in Myanmar's northern Shan state since late June after ethnic rebel groups renewed an offensive against the military along a vital trade highway to China.

Beijing's special envoy for Asian affairs met the junta chief in the capital Naypyidaw last week, Myanmar state media said, days after ethnic rebels seized a regional military command.

Min Aung Hlaing discussed "internal peace processes in Myanmar, peace and stability measures in the border region" with China's Deng Xijun, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.

The senior general "explained the implementation of objectives and a five-point roadmap in order to ensure peace, stability", the state-run newspaper said.

An unidentified spokesman from China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday Wang's visit to Myanmar was "aimed at deepening bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields".

China supports "Myanmar's effort to uphold stability, grow the economy and improve people's livelihood", the spokesman said.

He said Beijing helps Myanmar "to properly address differences through political consultation within the framework of the constitution and other laws".

Myanmar is also a vital piece of China's Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping's flagship $1 trillion project that includes maritime, rail and road projects in Asia, Africa and Europe.

However, progress in Myanmar has been hampered by the conflict since the military coup.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Wang would also attend an "informal discussion" between counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand during his trip

Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine said Tuesday it would not hold on to Russian territory captured in its surprise cross-border incursion and offered to stop raids if Moscow agreed a "just peace".

Ukrainian forces entered Russia's Kursk region last Tuesday, taking over two dozen settlements in the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II. Russia said Tuesday it had fended off new attacks in Kursk.

More than 120,000 people have fled the area and Ukraine's military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Monday that his troops controlled about 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory.

At least 800 square kilometres was under Ukrainian control as of Monday, according to an AFP analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

Foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy on Tuesday said Kyiv was not interested in "taking over" Russian territory and defended Ukraine's actions as "absolutely legitimate".

"The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace... the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defences forces into Russia will stop," he told reporters.

Ukraine meanwhile said it was imposing movement restrictions in a 20-kilometre zone in Sumy region along the border with Kursk region due to an "increase in the intensity of hostilities" and "sabotage" activities.

Russia's defence ministry said it had "foiled" new Ukrainian attacks in Kursk by "enemy mobile groups in armoured vehicles to break through deep into Russian territory".

Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia's FSB security service, also said in a statement that Ukraine had carried out the attack "with the support of the collective West".

 'I saw a lot of death' 

Since launching its invasion in February 2022, Russia has captured territory in southern and eastern Ukraine and subjected Ukrainian cities to missile and drone barrages.

Ukraine's offensive was the biggest cross-border action since the invasion and it caught Russia off guard.

"They didn't protect the border," a Ukrainian serviceman who took part in the offensive and identified himself as Ruzhyk told AFP in Sumy region.

"They only had anti-personnel mines scattered around trees at the side of the road and a few mines that they managed to quickly throw along the highways," he said.

A 27-year-old squad leader, who identified himself as Faraon, was sparing but direct in his description of battles in Kursk.

"I saw a lot of death in the first few days. It was terrifying at first but then we got used to it," he told AFP.

"There have been many deaths," he repeated stood next to a forest road leading to the frontier, without elaborating.

Ukrainian military analyst Mykola Bielieskov told AFP: "Russian complacency prevailed".

"Russia assumed that since it had initiative elsewhere, Ukraine wouldn't dare to do things we've seen," he said, referring to months of Russian advances along the front.

ISW figures also showed that Russian troops had captured 1,360 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory since the start of 2024.

 'Sow discord' 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to "dislodge" Ukrainian troops.

Putin told a televised meeting with officials on Monday that "one of the obvious goals of the enemy is to sow discord" and "destroy the unity and cohesion of Russian society".

Putin also said Ukraine wanted to "improve its negotiating position" for any future talks with Moscow.

Regional governor Alexei Smirnov told the same meeting that Ukrainian forces had entered at least 12 kilometres into the region and the new front was now 40 kilometres wide.

Russia had conceded earlier that Ukrainian forces had penetrated up to 30 kilometres into Russian territory in places.

A Ukrainian security official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, at the weekend, that Ukraine sought to "stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses and to destabilise the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border".

The Ukrainian official said thousands of Ukrainian troops were involved in the operation.