WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has installed new plaques at the “Presidential Walk of Fame” located along the West Wing Colonnade of the White House.

The plaques contain direct and politically charged, mocking commentary aimed at recent former US presidents. Reporters spotted the new additions on Wednesday, triggering fresh debate within Washington’s political circles.

One plaque refers to former president Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe Biden” and labels him “the worst president in American history.” Notably, Biden’s portrait is absent from the walk of fame. Instead, a framed image shows Biden’s signature produced by the presidential autopen.

Former president Barack Obama’s plaque identifies him as “Barack Hussein Obama” and describes him as “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.”

Similarly, the plaque beneath Bill Clinton’s portrait states that “in 2016, President Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, lost the presidency to President Donald J. Trump.”

According to the White House, several of these plaques were written by President Trump himself. These additions are being described as part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape the White House in line with his political vision.

The White House formally unveiled the Presidential Walk of Fame outside the Oval Office in September. The display includes portraits of all past US presidents, with the exception of Joe Biden.

President Trump has previously overseen other major changes at the White House, including replacing the grass in the Rose Garden with a stone patio and ordering the construction of a new White House ballroom, a project that required the demolition of much of the East Wing.

Political analysts say the plaques represent an unprecedented move in American history, marking the first time such overtly political and controversial narratives about former presidents have been publicly displayed inside the White House. Strong reactions and further debate are expected in the coming days.

Attacks at metro stations in Taipei on Friday involving smoke bombs and stabbings killed at least three people, the Taiwanese city’s fire department said, adding that the suspect was also dead.

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai said the attacks at Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan Station were “a deliberate act”, although the motive was not immediately clear.

Cho said in a statement that the suspect wore a mask and threw “five or six gasoline bombs or smoke grenades” at Taipei Main Station.

According to the Taipei City Fire Department, a total of four people were confirmed dead, including the suspect, a 27-year-old man.

Five other people were injured, the fire department said.

The city’s mayor said the suspect had apparently jumped off a building and that he was wanted for evading military service.

One of the victims was killed while trying to stop the attack at the Main Station, Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters.

“Unfortunately, he was attacked and passed away… we are all deeply saddened,” he said.

A witness of the attack at the Main Station told local network EBC News that he had seen a “man rush up and try and subdue” the attacker, who was “wearing a gas mask and a bulletproof vest”.

“At first I thought it was a drill, then I saw a person holding a knife and throwing smoke grenades,” said the witness, who did not give his name.

The mayor said that “we understand that the suspect committed suicide by jumping from a building to evade arrest, and has been confirmed dead.”

High alert

A second witness told EBC News that “someone ran out wearing a gas mask and started throwing canisters that released gas.”

“I quickly ran away. He kept throwing them behind me. I didn’t count how many (canisters) but there was a constant banging and clanging sound,” added the witness, who also did not give his name.

“I didn’t hear any explosions, but a lot of gas kept spraying out.”

Cho, the island’s premier, earlier said three people suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the attacks, and several people had “injuries from stab wounds and blunt force trauma to various parts of their bodies”.

Authorities said they were ramping up security across the island in response to the attacks.

“All important locations… including railway stations, highways, subway stations and airports are maintaining a high level of alert and vigilance,” Cho told reporters.

Images released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency show a canister on the ground at the Main Station, with officers examining potential evidence at the scene.

A video posted on social media shows a thick cloud of white smoke covering an underground section of a metro station, with some people standing at a distance.

President Lai Ching-te said Taiwanese authorities will “quickly clarify the details of the case. There will be no leniency and we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our citizens.”

Violent crime is rare Taiwan, though an attack in 2014 horrified the normally peaceful island when a man went on a stabbing spree on Taipei’s metro, killing four people. He was executed for the killings in 2016.

• Bangladeshis urged to resist violence committed by “fringe elements”.
• Mobs vandalise media offices, attack Indian High Commission.
• Violence to continue if justice not ensured, says activist.
  

The body of Osman Hadi, the popular student leader who was assassinated in Dhaka last Friday while launching his campaign for the elections, has reached the Bangladesh’s capital amid ongoing nationwide violent protests.

In a post on X, the interim government said a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying Sharif Osman Hadi’s remains landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 5:48pm local time after departing from Singapore, where he was undergoing medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the interim administration urged people to resist violence as soldiers and police fanned out across Dhaka and other cities following protests, sparking fears of more unrest ahead of national elections in which he had been due to run.

The Muslim-majority nation of about 175 million people is due to elect a new parliament in less than two months’ time — a transition many hope will help the country recover from nearly two years of instability and reclaim its position as a South Asian development success story.

Frequent bouts of violent protests and political wrangling among disparate groups including hardliners have, however, punctured the national sense of euphoria that arose after student-led protests ousted powerful leader and longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

It has also exposed the limitations of the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, analysts said, raising questions over his grip on governance in the world’s second-largest apparel producer after China.

Hasina’s party, the Awami League, which has been barred from the February 12 vote, has threatened unrest that some fear could derail the election itself.

Newspaper, Indian mission targeted

Youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last Friday while launching his campaign for the elections. He was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, and participated in the protests that overthrew Hasina.

Hadi, an outspoken critic of India as well, was initially treated at a local hospital before being flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after six days on life support.

In Dhaka, videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalising the offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as the Daily Star, on Thursday night.

The fire service said the blaze at the Daily Star was under control. Troops were deployed to the scene, and firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building.

Violence was also reported in a number of cities across Bangladesh, including the port city of Chittagong, where protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission.

The unrest follows fresh anti-India protests this week, with ties between the neighbours deteriorating since Hasina fled to Delhi. On Wednesday, hundreds of demonstrators marched toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, chanting anti-India slogans and demanding Hasina’s return.

Although calm had returned to much of the country on Friday morning, protesters carrying national flags and placards continued demonstrating at Shahbagh in central Dhaka, chanting slogans and vowing not to return until justice was served.

Government blames ‘fringe elements’

The interim government urged the people of Bangladesh to resist all forms of mob violence, it said were committed by a “few fringe elements”.

“This is a critical moment in our nation’s history when we are making a historic democratic transition,” it said in a statement. “We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace.”

The government told journalists at the Daily Star, Prothom Alo and New Age following the attacks on their offices that, “attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice”.

It also condemned the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh district, who was beaten and set on fire over allegations of blasphemy in an unrelated incident, vowing that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Independent rights group Ain O Salish Kendra said in a statement that coordinated attacks on media outlets, cultural institutions and historical sites indicated the dangerous spread of extremist and violent thought in Bangladesh.

“This series of violence may remain a permanent crisis for the country’s human rights situation, democratic space and future generations,” if justice is not ensured and institutions protected, it said.