United News of Bangladesh

US Congresswoman Delia Ramirez has criticised President Donald Trump over the latest US airstrikes on Iran, accusing his administration of escalating the conflict soon after reaching a ceasefire agreement. "Last night, Trump launched a series of strikes on Iran, shortly after establishing a ceasefire deal. And today he is threatening to launch more," Ramirez wrote in a post on X. "We cannot rely on warmongers to bring an end to this war. Congress must reclaim our authority and hold the administration accountable!" she added. Ramirez's remarks came after US Senator Elizabeth Warren also urged Congress to act to stop Trump's war. Last month, the US House of Representatives and the Senate approved a bipartisan War Powers Resolution directing the president to halt military action against Iran unless Congress formally declares war or authorises the use of military force. #From Al Jazeera

The United States may strike Iran again "hard tonight," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters here Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Trump said Tehran has been "behaving very badly" regarding a recently signed peace memorandum of understanding, citing recent drone and missile attacks as well as "assaults" on U.S. ships. The United States could resume a naval blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and possibly take over Iran's Kharg Island, he said. He added that the United States has lost 200 people during the latest conflict in the Middle East. Still, Trump suggested that the U.S. negotiation team might continue its efforts. The remarks came as the United States and Iran traded fresh attacks from Tuesday night to Wednesday, marking a new round of escalation. The United States has launched strikes against 80 Iranian targets allegedly in response to recent Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Later, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps attacked 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.  

Greenland’s strategic location, vast mineral resources and growing importance in Arctic security continue to make the autonomous Danish territory a focal point of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy ambitions. Situated largely above the Arctic Circle between North America and Europe, Greenland has gained renewed geopolitical significance amid rising tensions involving Russia and China, the effects of climate change and the prospect of new Arctic shipping routes. Trump has repeatedly argued that US control over Greenland is essential for national and global security, saying the island is critical to protecting North America and safeguarding the Arctic region. Although he previously suggested military action was an option, he has since indicated that force is no longer under consideration. His renewed interest in Greenland has unsettled NATO allies and drawn firm opposition from both Denmark and Greenland's government, which insists the island’s future must be decided by its own people. Greenland, home to around 56,000 people—mostly Indigenous Inuit—has been a strategic military asset since World War II, when the United States established a presence there to prevent Nazi Germany from gaining control and to protect North Atlantic shipping routes. The island has become increasingly important as climate change reduces Arctic sea ice, opening the possibility of new international trade routes while intensifying competition over access to natural resources. Security analysts note that Russia has expanded its military infrastructure across the Arctic in recent years, while China has sought a greater role in the region through its self-declared status as a "near-Arctic state" and plans for a Polar Silk Road under its Belt and Road Initiative. The United States already maintains a significant military presence in Greenland through the Pituffik Space Base in the island’s northwest. The installation plays a key role in missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for both the US and NATO. Greenland also overlooks the strategically important Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap, a vital maritime corridor used by NATO to monitor Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic. Despite Trump's arguments, some defence experts say the US already enjoys extensive military access to Greenland under long-standing agreements with Denmark, making formal control of the territory unnecessary from a security standpoint. Denmark has also expanded defence cooperation with Washington by allowing greater US military access to Danish bases, while making clear it would oppose any attempt to annex Greenland. Beyond security, Greenland's vast reserves of rare earth minerals have attracted growing international attention. These critical minerals are essential for manufacturing advanced technologies, including electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, computers and defence equipment. Western countries have sought to diversify supplies of these strategic minerals as they attempt to reduce dependence on China, which dominates global rare earth production. However, Greenland's harsh Arctic climate, limited infrastructure and strict environmental regulations continue to pose major challenges to large-scale mining and resource development.

Russia launched waves of missiles and drones targeting Kyiv overnight into Monday that killed at least five people, authorities said, hours after Ukraine’s president warned that another large-scale attack was imminent. A residential building in the Podilskyi district partially collapsed, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's City Military Administration in a post on Telegram. In the Darnytsia district, several multistory buildings were damaged and people were believed to be trapped under the rubble. “These are residential buildings. Places where people slept and lived their ordinary lives,” he said. The attack, which was still underway early Monday morning, involved waves of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. Explosions echoed across the city as civilians sought shelter in metro stations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned hours earlier of another large-scale Russian attack on the city. Monday's attack comes days after a combined Russian attack killed at least 31 people in Kyiv last week. Zelenskyy renewed calls for Western partners to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses, particularly by supplying more Patriot missiles, saying that failing to replenish them only emboldens Russia to prolong its four-year war, in a post on Telegram late Sunday.  

At least eight people, including four children, were shot on Saturday night in New York's Coney Island, according to an ABC News report, citing the New York Police Department. Those injured included two men, two women, and four children – aged 14, 12, seven and six. However, police did not immediately provide further details about the incident.  

U.S. employers slowed hiring last month and added only 57,000 jobs, less than half the previous month’s total and a sign companies still have a cautious economic outlook. The Labor Department said Thursday that the unemployment rate declined to a low 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though the drop mostly occurred because many people out of work gave up looking and were no longer counted as unemployed. The figures suggest businesses remain wary of the economy’s health, with inflation at a three-year high and consumer confidence near post-pandemic lows. The job market has been stuck in a “low-hire, low-fire” rut in which the employed enjoy some job security with layoffs low, but those out of work are struggling to get hired. Strong hiring in the spring raised hopes the economy was escaping that dynamic, but Thursday's report suggests job gains are still muted. “We are in a market that is still very fragile, and still susceptible to shocks happening,” Nicole Bachaud, labor economist at ZipRecruiter, an online job platform, said. "There is still a lot of hesitation on the part of employers and workers themselves to make any moves.” She noted that other government data shows companies are posting more jobs but not filling them. Hiring has improved from last year, when employers added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, on average. In this year's first half the pace improved to 92,000. Yet healthy job gains that were initially reported in April and May were revised lower, from 172,000 down to 129,000 in May and from 179,000 to 148,000 in April. Restaurants and bars cut jobs last month, despite the World Cup Restaurants, bars, and hotels cut 61,000 jobs, a sharp disappointment for those who expected the World Cup tournament that is taking place in multiple U.S. cities would lead to at least temporary job gains. Retailers also shed 7,500 jobs. Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Restaurant Association, said member companies are seeing signs consumers are pulling back on eating out, particularly outside higher-income households. It reflects a “K-shaped” economy, where wealthier households pull ahead of middle- and lower-income ones. “We continue to hear that a lot of Americans are struggling to make ends meet," he said. “If you’re catering to the upper-end of the K, you’re doing fine. If you’re catering to the lower part of the K, you’re seeing some challenges in the last couple of months.” Many Americans worry about the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, but for now AI may actually be adding jobs. Last month professional and business services, a category that includes architecture, engineering, and software development — occupations expected to be vulnerable to AI — added 36,000 jobs. Healthcare, the economy's most consistent job creator, added nearly 47,000 positions. Construction firms added workers, possibly because of AI buildout Blue-collar industries added a modest number of jobs, with manufacturers adding 3,000 positions and construction firms 11,000. Scottsville, New York-based Power & Construction Group added some of those jobs as it seeks to keep up with the demand for greater electrical capacity in the state. Thomas “Murph” Murphy, the company's vice president, said they are looking to hire another 15-20 workers after adding 47 in the past two months. The company is seeking more electricians, laborers, and heavy equipment operators to join the 350 workers on staff, Murphy said. Murphy said his company is competing for workers with firms building data centers in other states -- not many are being built in New York -- and he has to work to convince young people to choose construction as a career. The firm recently built a training center to bring newer, younger workers up to speed. “The grid can’t handle all the new power that everybody’s using,” Murphy said, noting the increase in laptops, phones, and tablets in many Americans’ homes. “We need to continuously build the grid. But it does take time.” Jobs data could keep Federal Reserve on sidelines Thursday's report suggests that hiring and wage gains aren't accelerating enough to worsen inflationary pressures in the economy, which could allow the Federal Reserve to keep its key rate unchanged at its current level of about 3.6%. Previously, many Wall Street investors had expected the central bank to lift its key rate this year as hiring appeared to be accelerating. The prospect of no rate cuts lifted the stock market in mid-morning trading, with the broad S&P 500 index up 0.7%. “Today’s data hit the sweet spot for markets — strong enough to keep worries about growth at bay, but soft enough to reduce the probability of a rate hike,” said Eric Winograd, chief U.S. economist at AB Global, an asset management firm. Fed chair Kevin Warsh in Portugal Wednesday reiterated that he would push inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target, though he wouldn’t comment on whether the Fed would raise rates at its next meeting, later this month. Average paychecks, meanwhile, rose 3.5% from a year ago, a decent gain but one that still trailed inflation, leaving many Americans struggling to keep up with rising costs for necessities such as food, gas, and housing. Historically, a job gain of just 57,000 would be seen as weak. Yet as more Americans retire and new immigration has dropped sharply, the U.S. workforce has shrunk in the past year. As a result, even gains at that level are enough to keep the unemployment rate unchanged over time. Fewer Americans are working or seeking work Last month, in fact, the workforce declined sharply, with the percentage of Americans working or looking for jobs falling to 61.5%, down from 61.8% in May. It's the lowest level in five years. Much of the decline reflected the aging of the population, as more than 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day and many retire. Yet the proportion of Americans aged 25 through 54 who are working or searching for jobs also fell last month. Mismatches between job-seekers and employers could be slowing hiring as well. Bachaud said AI adoption could have encouraged a trend she's noticed on their website: Companies are increasingly posting jobs seeking more senior, experienced workers, while job hunters are instead gravitating toward entry-level jobs. That gap “just shows the mismatch between what employers are looking for and what current job seekers have to offer,” she said. It has likely contributed to the frustration many job seekers feel even as the unemployment rate remains low.  

The administration of US President Donald Trump is set to launch a new savings and investment programme, known as Trump Accounts, on July 4, offering a government-funded $1,000 investment account for eligible newborns. The initiative, unveiled as part of events marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, aims to encourage long-term savings and expand stock market participation among American families. Under the programme, parents or legal guardians can open investment accounts for children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, during Trump's second term. Eligible children who are US citizens and have Social Security numbers will automatically receive a $1,000 government contribution. Parents may also open accounts for older children who have not turned 18 before the end of the calendar year, although those children will not qualify for the government-funded seed money. The funds will be managed by private financial institutions and invested in low-cost US equity index funds. The money cannot be accessed until the account holder turns 18 and may only be used for approved purposes, including higher education, purchasing a home or starting a business. Families will be allowed to contribute up to $2,500 annually in pre-tax income, while employers, relatives, friends and charitable organisations can also make contributions. Annual contributions are capped at $5,000, excluding donations from governments and philanthropic groups. The programme has already attracted significant private support. Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife, Susan Dell, have pledged $6.25 billion to provide seed funding for children who do not qualify for the government's $1,000 contribution. Trump also announced that Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra will contribute $250 million to the initiative. Additional commitments have come from investor Brad Gerstner and hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, while companies including Uber, Intel, IBM, Nvidia and Steak 'n Shake plan to incorporate Trump Account contributions into employee benefit programmes. Supporters say the initiative is designed to promote financial independence, broaden stock ownership and give children a stronger financial foundation from birth. Critics, however, argue that the programme offers little immediate assistance to families facing rising living costs and does not offset reductions in federal programmes such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). They also contend that wealthier families are likely to benefit more because they are better positioned to make regular contributions to the accounts. Administration officials say parents can begin opening accounts through the programme's official website from July 4.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, rejecting an executive order by President Donald Trump that sought to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily. The ruling preserves the long-established interpretation of the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, under which nearly all children born on US soil are recognized as American citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status. The decision came on the final day of the court's current term, which featured several high-profile cases involving Trump's broad assertions of presidential authority. Reacting to the verdict, Trump described the outcome as "too bad." Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said the court was not creating a new legal standard but reaffirming a principle deeply rooted in both English common law and American constitutional history. Roberts noted that citizenship has historically depended on the place of birth rather than the immigration status or permanent residence of a child's parents. He cited debates surrounding the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment, saying its framers intended to extend citizenship to every person born in the country. "We keep that promise today," Roberts wrote, adding that the court was simply upholding a long-established constitutional understanding. Justice Clarence Thomas, in the principal dissent, argued that the Citizenship Clause should not automatically apply to all children born in the United States. He maintained that the amendment was intended primarily to secure citizenship for formerly enslaved people following the Civil War and that it required a stronger legal connection, or domicile, to the country. Thomas said Trump's executive order was not unconstitutional on its face, arguing that it was consistent with what he described as the original meaning of the Citizenship Clause, including in cases involving children of parents who were not legally or permanently settled in the United States. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joined the majority opinion and also issued a separate opinion criticizing Thomas' interpretation of the Reconstruction Amendments. Jackson argued that the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were designed to eliminate systems of caste and subordination rather than serve as narrowly tailored measures benefiting only formerly enslaved people. She said Thomas' reading of the Citizenship Clause failed to reflect the broader historical purpose behind those constitutional changes. In other decisions issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld state laws in about half of the country that bar transgender girls and women from competing on female public school and college sports teams. The court also struck down federal limits on political party spending in election campaigns. A day earlier, the court delivered another major ruling in Trump's favor by allowing the president to remove the heads of independent federal agencies at will. However, it left Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in her position while she challenges Trump's attempt to dismiss her over allegations of mortgage fraud.

Palestinian-American Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has said she will support a bill seeking to block about $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel, ahead of a vote expected later this week. “We should not spend another cent arming a military that is committing genocide in Palestine, ethnically cleansing Lebanon, and committing war crimes in Iran,” Tlaib wrote on X. “A majority of Americans and a supermajority of Democrats support ending military aid to Israel. It’s time their representatives listened.” Other Democratic lawmakers who have said they will vote in favour of the bill include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Greg Casar and Ilhan Omar. The legislation was introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has consistently opposed US military interventions abroad, including the war on Iran. The Kentucky lawmaker drew the ire of President Donald Trump and lost the Republican House primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger. That contest became the most expensive US House primary race in history. #From Al Jazeera

The United States is using indirect technical talks with Iran in Qatar to help reduce tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, even though there are no direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to a US national security expert. Scott Uehlinger, a former CIA officer, told that the main goal of the US negotiators is to use the already scheduled technical talks to prevent potential problems in the future. "I think that the main point of the American negotiators is to try to use the technical talks, which have already been scheduled, as a way of heading off some difficulties, which are clearly lying in the future," Uehlinger said. He said those challenges are linked to what he described as Iran's "diplomatic gambit" to gain greater control over the Strait of Hormuz. According to Uehlinger, Washington is seeking to better understand Iran's role in the strategic waterway under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), as well as clarify details that could be included in a future agreement. "The US is trying to clarify what Iran's actual role is in the strait, according to the MoU, and further details that perhaps would be included in a future agreement," he said. Uehlinger added that the most favourable outcome for Washington would be an arrangement under the MoU in which Qatar, together with other Gulf states, negotiates with Iran to form a coalition that would oversee and regulate maritime traffic through the vital shipping route. #Reports Al Jazeera