United News of Bangladesh

Freezing rain hit parts of Texas on Friday as a powerful, multi-day winter storm began moving across the country, threatening roughly half of the U.S. population with snow, sleet, ice, dangerously cold temperatures, and widespread power outages. Forecasters warned that damage—particularly from heavy ice—could be severe, potentially rivaling the destruction caused by hurricanes. The storm disrupted daily life across large parts of the country. Schools in Chicago and other Midwestern cities canceled classes, airlines grounded thousands of flights, churches shifted services online, and major events such as the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville proceeded without audiences. Mardi Gras-related parades in Louisiana were postponed or called off. Weather alerts were widespread, with about 182 million people under ice and snow warnings and more than 210 million facing cold weather advisories, often overlapping. Power companies prepared for outages, as ice-laden trees and power lines can collapse even after storms subside. In Dallas, residents stocked up on essentials as conditions worsened. “We’re staying in and keeping out of the way,” said one shopper as freezing rain made roads slick in cities like Lubbock. After sweeping through the South, the storm was forecast to move northeast, potentially dropping up to a foot of snow from Washington, D.C., to New York and Boston. The first phase of the storm involved an influx of Arctic air from Canada, bringing dangerous wind chills to the Midwest. In some areas, temperatures felt as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), prompting school closures and making prolonged outdoor exposure hazardous. Despite the extreme cold, thousands gathered in Minneapolis for a planned protest, while elsewhere travel disruptions mounted. Nearly 5,000 flights were delayed or canceled nationwide on Friday, with thousands more canceled for the weekend. Read More: Weather likely to remain unchanged: BMD State and federal agencies prepared emergency responses. Road crews treated highways, National Guard units were deployed to assist motorists, and nearly 30 federal search-and-rescue teams were placed on standby. FEMA pre-positioned millions of meals, hundreds of thousands of blankets, and generators along the storm’s path. President Donald Trump said his administration was coordinating closely with state and local officials. Officials warned that ice accumulation could bring down power lines and burst pipes, and that recovery would be slow even after the storm passes. In many Southern states, most homes rely on electric heating, increasing the risk during outages. Remembering the deadly Texas power grid failure five years ago, state leaders pledged improved preparedness. Utility companies brought in extra crews to help maintain service. In the Northeast, cities braced for potentially their heaviest snowfall in years. Boston declared a cold emergency, while Connecticut and neighboring states prepared for possible travel restrictions. Philadelphia announced school closures, encouraging students to stay safe and enjoy the snow responsibly. As temperatures plunged, shelters opened for vulnerable populations. In Detroit, emergency cots were set up for those without housing, while elsewhere residents chose to ride out the storm at home or on campus with friends. Universities across the South canceled classes or urged students to leave dorms amid power concerns. Some students, however, opted to stay together and face the storm collectively.

The government has promulgated ‘Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Conservation Ordinance, 2026’ as part of its tough stance to protect the country’s ecological balance and conserve haors and wetlands. The new ordinance strengthens the Haor and Wetland Development Directorate and introduces tough punishment, including imprisonment and heavy fines for encroachment, land filling and environmental damage in haor and wetland areas. Under the law, the directorate has been given clearly defined responsibilities. Based on lists prepared by deputy commissioners, the government will publish a final gazette of haors and wetlands.  A master plan will be prepared to ensure protection and integrated management of wetlands and obtaining the directorate’s opinion will now be mandatory before taking up any development project. The ordinance also empowers the government to declare any haor or wetland a protected area if special conservation is required based on the opinions of the relevant authorities. The law provides for strict punishment depending on the nature of the offence. Anyone found illegally occupying haor or similar land, filling wetlands, carrying out unauthorised excavation, or constructing infrastructure that disrupts the natural flow of wetland water will face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 10 lakh  or both. The same punishment will apply to those who extract soil, sand, stone or any other natural resources without proper permission. Read more: Govt promulgates ordinance with fines for illegal tree cutting Besides, using banned nets, poison bait or electric shocks to catch fish, hunting migratory birds in haor areas, or destroying swamp forests will be punishable with up to two years’ jail and a fine of up to Tk 500,000. If natural resources are extracted in a manner that disrupts fish breeding, the offender will face up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 500,000. To curb environmental pollution anyone whose actions pollute haor water or soil will be punished with up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 200,000. Violating any special protection order or directive issued by the directorate, or breaching restrictions in areas declared as protected will also face up to two years’ jail and a fine ranging from Tk 500,000 to Tk 10,0000. If any individual or institution causes damage to the wetland ecosystem, the director general of the directorate will be able to assess the extent of the damage and order its recovery. He will also be empowered to direct necessary measures to restore the affected area, which must be complied with.

Because of harsh environment in Greenland, lack of key infrastructure and difficult geology have so far prevented anyone from building a mine to extract the sought-after rare earth elements that many high-tech products require. Besides President Donald Trump prevails in his effort to take control of the arctic island, those challenges won’t go away. Trump has made reducing China’s dominance over the global rare earth supply a top priority since the world’s second-largest economy sharply limited access to those materials after the United States imposed broad tariffs last spring. His administration has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the sector and has even acquired stakes in several companies. Now, the president is suggesting that taking control of Greenland from Denmark could be the answer. “We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” Trump said Friday. Greenland is unlikely to produce rare earths anytime soon, if at all. Although some companies are exploring its estimated 1.5 million tons of deposits, most projects remain at an early stage. Trump’s interest in the island may be driven more by efforts to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic than by access to rare earths like neodymium and terbium used in advanced technologies. “The fixation on Greenland has always been more about geopolitical posturing — a military-strategic interest and stock-promotion narrative — than a realistic supply solution for the tech sector,” said Tracy Hughes, founder and executive director of the Critical Minerals Institute. “The hype far outstrips the hard science and economics behind these critical minerals.” Trump confirmed those geopolitical concerns at the White House Friday. Read More: Trump threatens to take Greenland by force “We don’t want Russia or China going to Greenland, which if we don’t take Greenland, you can have Russia or China as your next door neighbor. That’s not going to happen,” Trump said A difficult place to build a mine Mining in Greenland faces major hurdles, including extreme remoteness, limited infrastructure, environmental risks, and harsh weather. Rare earths there are locked in complex eudialyte rock with no proven profitable extraction method. While Critical Metals’ shares jumped after plans for a pilot plant, it and other companies remain far from building a mine and would need massive investment. Producing rare earths is a tough business Even the most promising rare earth projects can struggle to be profitable, especially when China floods the market with excess supply to lower prices and push competitors out, a tactic it has used repeatedly. Currently, most critical minerals are still processed in China. The U.S. is rushing to increase rare earth supplies outside China during a one-year easing of stricter restrictions that Trump said Xi Jinping agreed to in October. Several companies worldwide are already producing rare earths or magnets and can bring them to market faster than Greenland, which Trump has threatened to take militarily if Denmark refuses to sell it. “There are very few folks that can rely on a track record for delivering anything in each of these instances, and that obviously should be where we start, and especially in my view if you’re the U.S. government,” said Dunn, whose company is already producing more than 2,000 metric tons of magnets each year at a plant in Texas from elements it gets outside of China.

A strong earthquake struck western Japan on Tuesday, but there were no reports of major damage, life-threatening injuries, or tsunami risk. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially reported the quake in Shimane prefecture, northwestern Japan, as magnitude 6.2, later revising it to 6.4. The prefectural capital, Matsue, along with nearby cities—including some in Tottori prefecture—experienced the strongest shaking. The quake’s epicenter was inland at a depth of roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). JMA officials warned residents to remain cautious of possible aftershocks for about a week. Local fire departments reported a few minor injuries, and Shinkansen bullet trains in the area faced temporary suspensions or delays. The Nuclear Regulation Authority confirmed no issues at the Shimane nuclear power plant or nearby facilities. Japan, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is among the world’s most earthquake-prone regions.

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Saturday stressed the need to ensure the protection of environmental human rights defenders and bring their safety under a legal framework. “Environmental defenders around the world are facing killings and violence, an issue that the United Nations has highlighted as highly significant and Bangladesh law should also reflect this concern,” she at the National Consultation on the Draft National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025at a hotel in Dhaka. .Rizwana  said while proposed National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025 is a well-drafted and comprehensive piece of legislation  encompassing investigation, recommendation, compensation, training, arbitration, and mediation its success will depend on how effectively the Commission is empowered and capacitated.  “Just putting people in the chair will not be enough,” she cautioned. “We must orient them with the soft values of human rights, alongside the institutional and legal mechanisms necessary for enforcement,” she said. Rizwana calls for stronger international support on climate action, energy transition Referring to the judiciary’s role in addressing rights violations, she emphasised the need for stronger coordination between the judiciary and the human rights bodies. Despite important directions from the courts, a sense of helplessness sometimes persists in ensuring enforcement, she added. The Environment Adviser said the commission’s recommendations should carry both moral and legal weight. “Moral force is vital in a country like Bangladesh, but there must also be enforceable mechanisms, particularly for arbitration and mediation outcomes.” Highlighting areas for improvement in the draft, Rizwana suggested expanding the definition of “person” to explicitly include government agencies and law enforcement bodies, which she said is critical for ensuring accountability. She also proposed the establishment of a panel of lawyers within the Commission to strengthen its investigative and advisory capacity, as well as regular evaluation of its performance. She further noted that the new Human Rights Commission law should complement other proposed commissions  such as those on police reform, women’s rights, enforced disappearances, and media freedom to create a coherent and reinforcing legal ecosystem for human rights protection. Dr. Asif Nazrul, Adviser, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Adilur Rahman Khan, Adviser, Ministry of Housing and Public Works; Md. Asaduzzaman, Attorney General for Bangladesh; Reto Siegfried Renggli, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland to Bangladesh; Anders B. Karlsen, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Denmark to Bangladesh; Stefan Liller, UNDP Bangladesh, among others, spoke at the event. The consultation was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Law, representatives from the United Nations, development partners, human rights organizations, and members of civil society.

At least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or went missing worldwide in 2024, with more than 80% of the cases reported in Latin America, according to a report released Wednesday by watchdog group Global Witness. The London-based organization said Latin America remains the most dangerous region for people defending their homes, communities, and natural resources, accounting for 120 of the total cases. Colombia was the deadliest country, recording 48 killings — nearly one-third of global cases — followed by Guatemala with 20 and Mexico with 18. Guatemala saw a fivefold increase in killings compared to 2023, making it the country with the highest per capita rate of defender deaths. Brazil reported 12 killings, while Honduras, Chile, and Mexico each recorded one disappearance. Laura Furones, lead researcher of the report, told the Associated Press that multiple factors drive persistent violence in Latin America, particularly in Colombia. “These countries are rich in natural resources and vast tracts of land are under pressure for food and feed production. Conflicts over resource extraction and land use often lead to attacks against those defending their rights,” she said. Since 2012, Global Witness has documented over 2,250 killings and disappearances of land and environmental defenders globally, nearly three-quarters of which occurred in Latin America. Close to 1,000 cases were recorded since 2018, when the region adopted the Escazú Agreement — a treaty aimed at protecting environmental defenders, guaranteeing access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making, and timely measures to prevent and punish attacks. The report highlighted that Indigenous peoples continue to face disproportionate risks, accounting for roughly one-third of global lethal attacks despite representing only about 6% of the world population. Ninety-four percent of attacks on Indigenous defenders occurred in Latin America. In Colombia’s Cauca region, Indigenous youth are participating in community “semilleros” (seedbeds) to learn environmental care, cultural traditions, and territorial defense to protect their land from armed groups and extractive industries. Small-scale farmers were also heavily targeted, making up 35% of victims in the region. Many killings were linked to land disputes, extractive industries such as mining, logging, agribusiness, and criminal networks. Organized crime, private security forces, and hired hitmen were implicated in numerous cases. Colombia’s Putumayo department, bridging the Andes and the Amazon, illustrates the dangers defenders face. Rich in forests and rivers, the area is also a hotspot for armed groups, extractive projects, and illicit trade, including drug trafficking and illegal mining. Environmental defenders described living under constant threat, with illegal activities tied to armed groups making them frequent targets. Andrew Miller of Amazon Watch said transnational criminal networks involved in drug, gold, and timber trafficking have increasingly become a major source of deadly threats against environmental defenders. “The security situation for defenders across the Amazon is becoming increasingly precarious,” he warned.  

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 11th on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI score of 103 at 10:30am this morning (June 21, 2025). Today Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘Unhealthy for sensitive groups,’ according to the AQI index. Such air quality continued for the past few days.  When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered ‘moderate’, usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Uganda’s Kampala, Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kinshasa and Indonesia’s Batam cities respectively occupied the first, second and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 155, 147 and 139 respectively. Dhaka’s air quality continues to be ‘moderate’ The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.    

Dhaka, the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, recorded a moderate Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 64 at 10:54am on Thursday, ranking 48th among cities with the worst air quality—better than Dubai (score of 128, ranking 8th). Today Dhaka’s air was classified as ‘moderate,’ referring to a light health threat, according to the AQI index. Such air quality continued for a fourth consecutive day on Thursday. Dhaka’s air quality continues to be ‘moderate’ When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 50 and 100, air quality is considered ‘moderate’, usually sensitive individuals should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion, between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Pakistan’s Lahore, Kuwait’s Kuwait and Egypt’s Cairo respectively occupied the first, second and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 160, 159 and 152 respectively. The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.  

he European Union (EU) on Thursday reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting nature, promoting biodiversity and safeguarding the environment.  The EU Embassy in Bangladesh made the remarks in a brief message marking the World Environment Day. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on 5 June since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world.  In 2025, it is hosted by the Republic of Korea. Time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode.  To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.  Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 per cent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040, according to the UN. Globally, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems each year. More than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement, and other dangers. Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy. The annual social and environmental cost of plastic pollution ranges between US$300 billion and US$600 billion.

The World Environment Day is being observed around the world on Thursday with a call to raise global awareness about the damaging effects of plastic waste on ecosystems, wildlife and human health. In Bangladesh, the day’s programmes will formally be observed on June 25 due to Eid-ul-Azha holiday.   The theme of this year's day is “Beat Plastic Pollution.”  The campaign seeks to raise global awareness about the damaging effects of plastic waste on ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Different organisations are observing  the day with elaborate programmes. The World Environment Day is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. First celebrated in 1973, it has now become a widely recognised day celebrated in more than 100 countries around the globe. The day is celebrated every year on June 5 throughout the world with different themes to create awareness about the importance of protecting planet Earth and Mother Nature.