United News of Bangladesh

The United Nations has reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, further straining the Islamic Republic as its people grapple with soaring food prices, widespread poverty and growing fears about the future. The sanctions, enforced through a mechanism known as “snapback” in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, will freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms transactions with Tehran and penalize its ballistic missile development, among other measures. Iran’s economy, already battered by inflation and the fallout of June’s 12-day war with Israel, faces even greater hardship. The national currency, the rial, has sunk to a record low, pushing the cost of meat, rice and other essentials beyond the reach of many families. For ordinary Iranians, the struggle is unprecedented. “For as long as I can remember, we’ve been struggling with economic hardship, and every year it’s worse than the last,” said Sina, a father of a 12-year-old boy, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions. “For my generation, it’s always either too late or too early — our dreams are slipping away.” Snapback and nuclear deadlock Snapback sanctions cannot be vetoed by Russia or China at the UN Security Council, making them harder for Tehran to resist. The measure was triggered 30 days ago by France, Germany and the UK, citing Iran’s restrictions on international monitoring of its nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran further barred the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from accessing its nuclear sites after the June war, when Israeli and US strikes targeted facilities in the country. Tehran continues to hold uranium enriched to 60% purity — close to weapons-grade — sufficient for several atomic bombs if weaponization is pursued. Iran has long claimed its nuclear program is peaceful, though the IAEA and Western powers maintain that Tehran ran an organized weapons program until 2003. The three European nations said they tried to avoid invoking snapback, but Iran has failed to allow IAEA inspectors back or to account for its enriched uranium stockpile. Tehran argues that Europe cannot use the mechanism, pointing to the US withdrawal from the 2015 accord under then-President Donald Trump. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the European nations for “an act of decisive global leadership” and said diplomacy remains possible if Tehran agrees to direct talks. However, analysts warn of heightened risks. “Given the knowledge Iran has, given the materials that remain in Iran, that’s a very dangerous assumption,” said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association. The absence of inspections, she added, could provide grounds for further strikes by the US or Israel. Hunger, inflation and mental health strain The economic toll of the June war has been devastating. Government data showed annual inflation at 34.5% in June, while food prices jumped over 50%. Shoppers report even steeper increases: pinto beans tripled in price in a year, rice rose by as much as 100% for premium varieties, and staples like chicken, butter, cheese and milk saw sharp hikes. “I cannot omit them like fruits and meat from my grocery list because my kids are too young to be deprived,” said Tehran resident Sima Taghavi, a mother of two. The soaring cost of living, combined with fears of renewed conflict, has driven more Iranians to seek psychological help. “The psychological pressure from the 12-day war on the one hand, and runaway inflation and price hikes on the other, has left society exhausted and unmotivated,” said Dr. Sima Ferdowsi, a clinical psychologist at Shahid Beheshti University, in remarks to local media. Surge in executions Amid growing unrest, authorities have intensified repression. Rights groups say Iran is executing prisoners at a pace unseen since 1988, when thousands were put to death at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights and the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center reported over 1,000 executions so far in 2025, though the actual figure may be higher as not all cases are officially disclosed. Protests in recent years, fueled by economic hardship, demands for women’s rights and calls for political change, have met with harsh crackdowns. Activists fear the latest sanctions and economic strain could accelerate repression further.  

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Indian woman who spent more than three decades in the United States, has been deported to India, sparking outrage among the Sikh community. Ms. Kaur moved to California in 1991 with her two young sons to escape political unrest in Punjab. She lived and worked in the US while making several unsuccessful attempts to seek asylum. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested her on September 8 after her asylum applications were rejected. She was transferred to a holding facility in Georgia on September 19 and deported to India on September 22 without being able to visit her US home or say proper goodbye to family and friends, according to her lawyer Deepak Ahluwalia. Ahluwalia said Ms. Kaur, who has no criminal record, was treated poorly during detention. “She spent 60-70 hours in a detention cell without a bed, forced to sleep on the floor despite double knee replacements. She was given ice to take her medicines and denied food she could eat,” he said. ICE said in a statement that Ms. Kaur had “exhausted decades of due process” and that an immigration judge had ordered her removal in 2005. ICE added that she had filed multiple appeals, all of which were rejected, and that it was now enforcing US law. Ms. Kaur lived in Hercules, San Francisco Bay Area, and worked for 20 years as a sari-store seamstress while paying taxes. Asylum applicants are allowed to work legally while their claims are processed. After landing in Delhi, she told Times of India, “After living for so long in the US, you are suddenly detained and deported this way; it is better to die than to face this.” Her arrest had triggered protests and anger in the Sikh community in California. The deportation comes amid a broader US crackdown on immigration under the Trump administration, which has targeted both alleged illegal immigrants and others whose appeals were rejected.   Source: BBC

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the German capital on Saturday in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The demonstrators called for a conclusion to the Israel-Hamas war, shouting slogans like “free, free Palestine,” and they demanded an end to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Around 50,000 people took part in the march through Berlin's downtown area, according to police. About 1,800 law enforcement officers were deployed to monitor the demonstrators. The protesters also called for a halt to German arms exports to Israel and demanded European Union sanctions against Israel, German news agency dpa reported. Last month, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany wouldn't authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza “until further notice." The country has balked at supporting sanctions against Israel. Germany has been seen as one of Israel’s strongest supporters. It has maintained a strongly pro-Israel stance for decades, largely because of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, which has shaped its postwar foreign policy around ensuring Israel’s security and combating antisemitism. In a separate protest, about 100 people rallied in favor of Israel and “against all forms of antisemitism,” German public broadcaster RBB reported, adding that there were isolated scuffles, when the two protest groups met. It wasn't immediately clear if the scuffles were between the different protesters or with police trying to separate them. Several thousand people also protested in the western German city of Düsseldorf under the slogan “we will not forget Gaza — freedom for Palestine and all oppressed peoples.” In Geneva, about 6,000 people demonstrated for an end to the war in Gaza, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported. Other European cities have also seen Gaza protests in recent weeks. The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In the attack, militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. There are still 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive. Israel’s retaliatory offensive over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,100 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, destroyed vast areas of the Palestinian territory, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine. The ministry is under the Hamas-run government. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. It doesn't say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants.

UNESCO has designated 26 new biosphere reserves across 21 countries, expanding the global network to 785 sites in 142 countries at a time of mounting threats from climate change and biodiversity loss. The new reserves, announced Saturday in Hangzhou, China, include some of the planet’s most diverse and fragile ecosystems. Unlike strictly protected nature parks, biosphere reserves also encompass inhabited areas where scientists, residents, and governments work together to balance conservation, research and economic activity. Among the latest designations is Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago, home to three-fourths of the world’s coral species along with rainforests and endangered sea turtles. Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Biosphere Reserve includes volcanic peaks, lava fields, wetlands, and more than 70% of the nation’s plant species, while Angola’s Quiçama reserve stretches 206 kilometers along the Atlantic coast, providing habitat for elephants, manatees, sea turtles and over 200 bird species. António Abreu, head of UNESCO’s biosphere program, said biodiversity protection must go hand-in-hand with community needs, noting that local residents have even helped identify new species. In the Philippines, for example, damaged coral reefs were restored through aquaculture initiatives, while in São Tomé and Príncipe, mangrove restoration has protected coastlines and boosted ecotourism. UNESCO says more than 60% of reserves worldwide are already affected by extreme weather linked to climate change, including heatwaves, drought and rising seas. The agency is using satellite monitoring and digitizing historical data to guide management. However, many sites also face human pressures. In Nigeria’s Omo Forest Reserve, habitat loss threatens critically endangered African forest elephants as cocoa farming expands. The U.S., which has 47 biosphere reserves, has announced it will withdraw from UNESCO again in December 2026, following a decision by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Russia has sold military equipment and shared know-how with China that could help Beijing prepare airborne operations against Taiwan, according to an analysis by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) based on leaked Russian documents. The RUSI report, compiled from roughly 800 pages of material—contracts, equipment lists and meeting minutes obtained from the Black Moon hacktivist group—says the files reference deliveries and timelines for high-altitude parachute systems, amphibious assault vehicles and other gear that could be used to insert troops and equipment behind enemy lines. The institute provided some documents to The Associated Press and said they appear authentic; AP was not able to independently verify them. While the documents do not explicitly mention Taiwan, RUSI analysts argue the systems would markedly improve China’s airborne capabilities and could shorten Beijing’s timetable for mounting a large-scale landing operation. High-level U.S. officials have warned that China has been ordered to be prepared for a possible invasion as early as 2027. The papers describe meetings between Chinese and Russian delegations, payment and delivery schedules, and an agreement for training in China. One document dated September 2024 refers to an initial 2021 arrangement and indicates that technical analysis, software adaptation and manufacturing phases have been completed. The package reportedly includes 37 light amphibious assault vehicles, 11 amphibious anti-tank guns, 11 airborne armoured personnel carriers, plus command and observation vehicles—tabled at a total cost of more than $210 million. Beijing, the documents show, sought integration with Chinese communications and ammunition systems. Of particular concern is a Russian system called Dalnolyot, designed for parachute drops from extreme altitudes carrying up to 190 kilograms. RUSI says Beijing requested tests from drops at 8,000 metres, which would allow paratroopers and cargo to glide tens of kilometres and potentially infiltrate territory without crossing hostile airspace. Analysts suggested such capability could support a “stage zero” operation—covertly inserting special forces and equipment before a larger assault. RUSI researchers Oleksandr Danylyuk and Jack Watling noted the greatest value to China may be Russian operational experience—command, control and procedures for airborne landings—rather than the hardware alone. “The Chinese school of airborne landing is very young,” Danylyuk told RUSI, warning Moscow’s assistance could accelerate Beijing’s airborne programme by a decade or more. Russian and Chinese officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Analysts caution that the documents do not prove China has paid for or received the equipment, and the material may be incomplete or altered. The report also reflects lessons from Russia’s own setbacks: Moscow’s parachute units failed to secure a crucial early advantage in Ukraine in 2022 when airborne operations around Kyiv were repelled. Still, RUSI says the gear described in the files would be tailored for an invasion scenario rather than for Russia’s ongoing campaign in Ukraine. Military experts say airborne insertions would likely play a supporting role in any cross-Taiwan operation rather than being the decisive move. Securing air superiority, suppressing Taiwanese defences and establishing a sustained seaborne and air bridge remain the core operational challenges, the report says. One proposed tactic cited by analysts is airdropping armoured vehicles onto open ground—such as golf courses—near ports and airfields to clear corridors for follow-on forces. RUSI concludes that by supplying both equipment and training, Russia could position itself as a reliable defence supplier to China while also raising the geopolitical costs for the West. Some analysts warn Moscow may seek to draw Beijing into a confrontation with Washington over Taiwan, potentially diverting attention from Russia’s war in Ukraine.  

The U.N. Security Council on Friday rejected a last-ditch attempt by Russia and China to block the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, setting the stage for punitive measures to take effect this weekend. The move came a day before the deadline for the so-called “snapback” mechanism outlined in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Britain, France and Germany triggered the process last month after accusing Tehran of failing to comply with the accord. The Russia-China resolution, which sought to give Iran more time to negotiate, fell short of the nine votes required for adoption. The final tally was 4-9, with two abstentions. “We had hoped that European colleagues and the U.S. would opt for diplomacy instead of clumsy blackmail, which only escalates tensions,” Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told the council. The sanctions, expected to be reinstated Saturday, will freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms sales to Tehran, and restrict development of its ballistic missile program, further straining the country’s struggling economy. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, denounced the move as “unfair, unjust and illegal.” Still, he ruled out withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, saying Iran would not follow the path of North Korea, which abandoned the pact in 2003 before developing nuclear weapons. Iran’s allies China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria voted in favor of delaying sanctions. But Western powers argued that weeks of negotiations had failed to yield any progress. “This sordid mess did not come about overnight,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the vote. “The U.S. betrayed diplomacy, but the E3 have buried it.” European diplomats said Tehran ignored opportunities for compromise during six weeks of talks leading up to the General Assembly. One diplomat told AP earlier this week the discussions produced “no new developments, no new results.” President Pezeshkian, however, accused the U.S. of undermining talks. “One night this week, the Americans were supposed to meet with us and the Europeans, but they never showed up,” he said. He added that U.S. negotiators often backtracked on previously agreed issues, further deepening distrust. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had already cast doubt on prospects for compromise, declaring earlier this month that negotiations with Washington are “a sheer dead end.” European leaders have said they were ready to extend the deadline if Tehran met certain conditions, including direct talks with the U.S., full access for U.N. nuclear inspectors, and disclosure of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium reported by the IAEA. Iran enriches uranium up to 60% — just a short step from weapons-grade levels — making it the only non-nuclear weapons state doing so. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Friday that its inspectors remain in Iran, monitoring facilities and conducting inspections. Earlier this month, Iran and the IAEA signed an agreement, mediated by Egypt, to resume cooperation. But Tehran has warned it will end that arrangement if sanctions are reimposed. Despite ongoing inspections, European diplomats said Iran’s limited cooperation falls short of the measures needed to prevent sanctions from being reinstated on Saturday.

The head of a U.S. congressional delegation visiting China on Thursday said significant efforts are needed to resolve ongoing trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, which he said are creating challenges for businesses on both sides of the Pacific. Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state, said his key observation from the five-day trip was that substantial business activity continues between the U.S. and China despite the trade war. “We have a lot of work to do to resolve these issues, but China, the U.S., and the world can benefit from resolving some of our differences and working better together,” Smith told reporters after a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The delegation — Smith, fellow Democrats Reps. Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan, and Republican Rep. Michael Baumgartner — were later seen having coffee in a Shanghai office building lobby following their Chamber meeting. Smith, a member of the House Armed Services Committee along with the other Democrats, reiterated the need for enhanced communication between the U.S. and Chinese militaries. “Two of the largest nuclear powers in the world need to be talking to each other, particularly considering the fact that we do have some disagreements,” he said. The lawmakers arrived in Shanghai Wednesday after three days of meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing, including Premier Li Qiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Defense Minister Dong Jun. Smith said the main goal of the trip was to reopen channels of communication between the two governments. This was the first visit by a U.S. House delegation to China since 2019, following a Senate delegation visit in 2023. U.S. President Donald Trump has recently indicated plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a regional summit in South Korea in late October, followed by a visit to China early next year. Beijing has not officially confirmed the meetings.  

Russia and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding to build small nuclear power plants in Iran, as Tehran faces the prospect of renewed international sanctions over its nuclear programme. The agreement was signed Wednesday in Moscow by Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev and Iran’s top nuclear official and Vice President Mohammad Eslami, who described it as a “strategic project.” Earlier this week, Eslami told Iranian state media that Tehran plans to build eight nuclear plants as part of its goal to generate 20 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by 2040. Iran currently operates only one nuclear facility — the Russian-built Bushehr plant in the south — with a capacity of about 1 gigawatt. The development comes as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) last week voted against permanently lifting sanctions on Iran, setting the stage for their automatic reimposition by September 28 unless a new deal is reached. Russia was among four countries that opposed restoring sanctions. Iran rejected the UNSC move, warning that the resumption of sanctions would “effectively suspend” its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The vote followed a 30-day dispute process triggered in August by the United Kingdom, France and Germany — the E3 — accusing Tehran of breaching its nuclear commitments. The E3 allege Iran has amassed a uranium stockpile more than 40 times above the limit set under the 2015 nuclear accord, which former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018 before reimposing sanctions. Tehran argues it only expanded enrichment after Washington violated the deal. Fresh sanctions would freeze Iranian assets abroad, block arms sales to Tehran, and restrict its ballistic missile programme. While denying any pursuit of nuclear weapons, Iranian leaders insist on their right to peaceful nuclear energy. Addressing the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran “will never seek a nuclear bomb.” A day earlier, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed any direct talks with Washington, calling negotiations with the United States “a sheer dead end.” Tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme have intensified in recent months. In June, Israel launched a 12-day conflict with Iran, during which Israeli and U.S. forces targeted several of Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Source: Agency

Infection rates from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” rose almost 70% between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists. Bacteria that are difficult to treat due to the so-called NDM gene primarily drove the increase, CDC researchers wrote in an article published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Only two antibiotics work against those infections, and the drugs are expensive and must be administered through an IV, researchers said. Bacteria with the gene were once considered exotic, linked to a small number of patients who received medical care overseas. Though the numbers are still small, the rate of U.S. cases jumped more than fivefold in recent years, the researchers reported. “The rise of NDMs in the U.S. is a grave danger and very worrisome,” said David Weiss, an Emory University infectious diseases researcher, in an email. It's likely many people are unrecognized carriers of the drug-resistant bacteria, which could lead to community spread, the CDC scientists said. That may play out in doctors’ offices across the country, as infections long considered routine — like urinary tract infections — could become harder to treat, said Dr. Maroya Walters, one of the report’s authors. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when germs such as bacteria and fungi gain the power to fight off the drugs designed to kill them. The misuse of antibiotics was a big reason for the rise — unfinished or unnecessary prescriptions that didn’t kill the germs made them stronger. In recent years, the CDC has drawn attention to “ nightmare bacteria ” resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. That includes carbapenems, a class of antibiotics considered a last resort for treatment of serious infections. Researchers drew data from 29 states that do the necessary testing and reporting of carbapenem-resistant bacteria. They counted 4,341 cases of carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections from those states in 2023, with 1,831 of them the NDM variety. The researchers did not say how many of the infected people died. The rate of carbapenem-resistant infections rose from just under 2 per 100,000 people in 2019 to more than 3 per 100,000 in 2023 — an increase of 69%. But the rate of NDM cases rose from around 0.25 to about 1.35 — an increase of 460%, the authors said. A researcher not involved in the study said the increase is probably related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We know that there was a huge surge in antibiotic use during the pandemic, so this likely is reflected in increasing drug resistance,” said Dr. Jason Burnham, a Washington University researcher, in an email. The CDC’s count is only a partial picture. Many states are not fully testing and reporting cases. Even in states that do, cases tend to be among hospital patients sick enough to warrant special testing. Many hospitals also aren’t able to do the testing needed to detect certain forms of genetic resistance. The CDC researchers did not have data from some of the most populous states, including California, Florida, New York and Texas, which means the absolute number of U.S. infections “is definitely underestimated,” Burnham said. This is not the first study to report a rise. A CDC report published in June noted an increase in NDM cases in New York City between 2019 and 2024.

News of a sick or injured mountain gorilla can worry local residents in this mountainous area that’s home to the endangered species. That’s partly because most of the gorillas have been given names, allowing rangers and others to humanize the animal's suffering. But widespread interest in protecting mountain gorillas also comes from the economic benefits of tourism that have turned poachers into conservationists, married women into porters and rangers into eloquent spokespeople for the great apes. “If we know there is a gorilla that is sick, you see everyone is concerned. ‘Why? Why is the gorilla sick? It’s suffering from what?’” said Joyleen Tugume, a ranger-guide in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. “Even the community people. Everyone is touched.” Tugume said poaching in the park is increasingly rare since “we are actually all working together to make sure conservation goes well, because we are all benefitting.” Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in a remote part of southwestern Uganda, is home to many groups of habituated gorillas that have become comfortable in the presence of humans. Vibrant tourist economyTourists pay a considerable sum — $800 in permit fees per foreign non-resident — for the right to see gorillas in their natural habitat. An official revenue-sharing policy channels $10 from each permit back to the local community via their elected leaders, who can invest in projects ranging from water provision to health care. Local communities are also entitled to 20% of all park entry fees generated annually. Many locals, including reformed poachers living near the park, told The Associated Press that the money generated has ensured the recovery of the species, with habitat encroachment and poaching in decline as wildlife authorities seek to collaborate more with nearby communities. Philemon Mujuni, a poacher until five years ago, said he once thought of the gorilla as a hostile animal to be killed before it killed him if he ever encountered one. As a boy, he used to follow his father, whom he described as “a senior poacher,” into the forest to help carry the antelopes they pulled from traps. But in 2020, when poachers killed a beloved gorilla named Rafiki, Mujuni and others formed an organization of former poachers who now say the primates are more important than any other animal. They serve as community watchdogs, looking out for people who might venture into the forest to set duiker traps that sometimes ensnare gorillas. Their surveillance efforts help support the work of armed rangers who also regularly patrol the park. “When community conservation rangers sensitized us, we said, ‘Let us reform and stop poaching in the national park of Bwindi,’” Mujuni said. “I can’t go there. Because, through the conservation team from (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park), we get some money from these gorillas we could kill.” Reformed poachersPeter Tumwesigye, one of 128 members of the group of reformed poachers, said gorillas are so important that people whose actions lead to a gorilla's death should be jailed. “So that others can learn and never do it again,” he said. Many of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Massif, a mountainous area encompassing parts of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The outlook for mountain gorillas has been positive since 2018, when a survey showed that the population exceeded 1,000. It's a remarkable comeback for a species that faced extinction in the last century. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which maintains a list of threatened species, cites the mountain gorilla as endangered, an improvement from its earlier designation as critically endangered. About half of the gorillas live in Uganda. Besides Bwindi, the only other Ugandan park where gorillas can be tracked in the wild is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. But that protected area has just one family of gorillas, while Bwindi has 27 groups that can be seen up close by visitors. The primates are tracked daily. Tugume, the ranger-guide, said she works even on Christmas Day. One recent morning she led a small group of tourists into the forest, swinging a sickle to clear the way and speaking of the tenderness she sees in gorillas. “You have to fight to take over,” she said, talking about a young male in a family of gorillas that one day could challenge the leader — known as a silverback for its distinguishing coat — for mating rights. “When you are the leader, you have all the rights to mate with the females. But when you are not the leader, you don’t need to mate but you can mate secretly. And if the silverback comes to know, then it will be a tug of war,” she said. At the offices of the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Buhoma, a town outside the park, a group of ranger-guides and porters gathers each morning for the opportunity to earn generous tips from helping tourists navigate the forest. Groups of trackers are allocated porters, who can even help carry an unfit tourist up the hills and through the undergrowth for around $300. “The value of the gorilla money is very critical,” said Gessa Simplicious, a conservationist with the Uganda Tourism Board. “It helps with building trust, but it also helps in the awareness of the need to conserve.”