United News of Bangladesh

President Donald Trump is set to speak at a defense technology summit at the U.S. Army War College on Wednesday, where he is expected to highlight major investments in military technology as the recent conflict with Iran has significantly reduced U.S. stockpiles of key missiles. The summit, held in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is being organized by Republican Senator David McCormick. It has brought together top military, intelligence and business leaders, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz. The White House said the event aims to bring together senior defense officials and leading global investors to discuss national security priorities and explore investment opportunities in the defense sector. Among those attending are JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackstone President Jon Gray, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, SpaceX director Antonio Gracias and Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar. Trump has made frequent visits to Pennsylvania, a key political battleground, including a trip last month to a Mack Trucks factory near Allentown to support Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie's reelection campaign. Although McCormick is not facing reelection this year, Republicans are increasingly concerned about the political impact of the Iran conflict, the continuing high cost of living and Trump's low approval ratings as they seek to retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections. Trump spoke at a similar summit hosted by McCormick in Pittsburgh last year, where the senator announced $90 billion in pledged investments for energy technology and robotics projects across Pennsylvania. This year's summit began on Tuesday. Ahead of Trump's address, Pennsylvania-based artificial intelligence company ZeroEyes announced plans to invest $10 million in AI and machine learning research and development. Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics also announced plans to open a new 10,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to expand the use of robotics in defense production and strengthen the country's defense industrial base. The summit comes as concerns grow over U.S. weapons supplies. A report released in May found that defense contractors may need at least three years to rebuild stockpiles of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Patriot air defense missiles and THAAD interceptors, which have been heavily used in military operations, including recent strikes on Iran. The shrinking inventory has raised concerns that the U.S. could face shortages if a future conflict breaks out with China. China has said it wants its military to be capable of taking Taiwan by force, if necessary, by 2027, although experts view that timeline as an ambition rather than a fixed deadline. During Trump's recent visit to Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that poor handling of U.S.-Taiwan relations could increase tensions and potentially lead to direct conflict between the two countries. Trump has also pledged to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems under license, although experts say it could take years before such production becomes operational. To strengthen U.S. military capabilities, Trump has proposed a record $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027. However, the spending package remains stalled in Congress, and even if approved, expanding production capacity for advanced weapons would take considerable time. Jake Loosararian, co-founder and CEO of Gecko Robotics, said U.S. defense manufacturers need to significantly strengthen supply chains to speed up production of advanced military technologies. "President Trump uniquely understands the importance of pragmatic impact today," Loosararian said. "He also understands big, beautiful things for tomorrow."

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, ending the twice-yearly clock changes if it becomes law. The measure, known as the "Sunshine Protection Act," was approved by a 308-117 vote. It now heads to the Senate, where its prospects remain uncertain. If passed there, it would require President Donald Trump's signature to become law. Daylight saving time is observed between spring and fall, when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. Under the bill, states would still have the option to opt out if their legislatures act before the measure takes effect. Supporters, including the White House, said making daylight saving time permanent would provide more daylight during the hours when most Americans are active. Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida said Americans are ready to "ditch the switch," arguing that changing clocks twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. He said the change would give families more evening daylight to spend outdoors while also benefiting local businesses. "In my home state of Florida, where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses and visitors alike," Bilirakis said. Opponents argued that permanent daylight saving time would result in darker winter mornings, potentially creating safety risks for children waiting for school buses and for commuters travelling to work before sunrise. Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania said millions of Americans would begin their winter mornings in complete darkness, with sunrise coming well after many people had already left home. Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said he supports the proposal but questioned whether Congress should be prioritising it while many Americans continue to struggle with rising housing, food, utility and healthcare costs. A 2025 poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that if Americans had to choose one system year-round, 56% preferred permanent daylight saving time, which provides more evening daylight but less morning light. About four in 10 respondents favoured permanent standard time, offering more morning daylight and earlier sunsets. Ahead of the House vote, the White House described the Sunshine Protection Act as a popular and common-sense reform, saying President Trump would be advised to sign the bill if it reaches his desk. Congress has debated the benefits and drawbacks of daylight saving time for decades since it was first introduced as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate approved a similar bill four years ago, but it failed to advance in the House.

The United States early Wednesday reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports following Tehran's attacks on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering fresh strikes on countries hosting American forces as an interim peace deal continued to unravel. Days of retaliatory attacks by Iran and the United States, along with both sides' efforts to assert control over the strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passes during peacetime, have raised fears of a return to full-scale war in the Middle East. The US first imposed the blockade in mid-April and lifted it in mid-June, a day after signing an interim agreement that allowed a 60-day period for negotiations on issues including Iran's nuclear programme. However, talks have stalled as fighting around the Strait of Hormuz has intensified. When US President Donald Trump announced the return of the blockade on Monday, he also proposed imposing a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait. Hours later, however, he dropped the plan, saying Gulf allies had requested an alternative approach. Fresh attacks after blockade resumes Ahead of reimposing the blockade, the US military launched another wave of strikes, according to US Central Command. Missile alerts were issued in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday as Iranian missiles targeted the two countries, continuing a pattern of daily attacks that has further strained the fragile ceasefire. Hours after the blockade was reinstated, Iranian state media reported an exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz without providing further details. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighbouring Gulf Arab countries. "US forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives," Cooper said. The US currently has at least 19 warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship carrying more than 1,000 Marines. Central Command also said hundreds of military aircraft are operating across the Middle East. Since the war between the US, Israel and Iran began on Feb. 28, Tehran has repeatedly targeted and threatened commercial vessels, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and driving up global prices for oil, fertiliser and other goods. More recently, Iran has attacked ships travelling through a US-monitored shipping route near Oman, outside Tehran's control, fuelling the latest escalation. The US has warned it could reopen the strait by force, although experts say such an operation would require a much larger military deployment. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused Washington of being the aggressor. "The US is the aggressor, not the victim," he wrote to the UN chief, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. Trump drops shipping fee proposal Trump said Tuesday that Gulf leaders had urged him to replace the proposed shipping fees with increased investments in the United States. "They said we'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He said he preferred that arrangement because "I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait." It remains unclear whether the proposed investments would be in addition to commitments announced during Trump's visit to the region last year. Trump's proposal to charge ships for using the strait would have marked a major shift from longstanding US policy supporting free navigation through the waterway. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday night, Trump warned that additional US strikes on Iran would continue over the next two days, with bridges and power plants among possible future targets unless negotiations resumed. "You better make a deal, or you're not going to have anything left," he said. Strikes continue across the region US Central Command said it carried out strikes at several locations in Iran on Tuesday. Iranian authorities acknowledged the attacks but did not provide an overall assessment of casualties or damage. Hours after the US announced the end of its operations, Iran's Bushehr city on the Persian Gulf was struck at four locations, according to IRNA. Explosions were also reported in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran and the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. The attacks have raised speculation that Gulf Arab states may be responding militarily to Iran without publicly acknowledging it. Kuwait separately said an Iranian strike wounded four members of its navy on Tuesday and set a building on fire. Interim peace deal under pressure Under the interim agreement, Iran pledged to allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. However, the deal did not address what would happen afterward. Tehran maintains it has the right to regulate shipping through the strait and potentially charge fees, a position disputed by Washington. Brent crude oil briefly rose above $87 a barrel on Tuesday before falling to around $78 after Trump withdrew his shipping fee proposal. Meanwhile, regional mediators are continuing efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table. Two regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive diplomatic efforts, said Pakistan-led mediation is working around the clock to restore the ceasefire.

A joint U.S.-Russian crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, hours after launching from the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off as scheduled aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft at 7:47 pm local time (10:47 am EDT, 1447 GMT) for an eight-month mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The Soyuz spacecraft docked automatically with the ISS about three hours after launch. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch, marking the first visit by a NASA chief to Baikonur in eight years. The visit underscored continued cooperation between Washington and Moscow in space despite tensions over Russia's military action in Ukraine. Ahead of the launch, Isaacman met Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov. During a meeting with the crew on Monday, he thanked the Russian space agency for its efforts in preparing the mission, saying the work carried out over the past several months reflected the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved. Isaacman also met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. According to Manturov's office, the two discussed future cooperation on the International Space Station and other space projects. The mission marks Menon's first journey into space, while Dubrov and Kikina are each making their second spaceflight. The three newcomers will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev aboard the station. Although the United States and Russia were fierce rivals during the Cold War space race, they have continued to cooperate on the ISS and other space projects. That partnership has come under strain since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in 2022, but both countries have maintained crew exchange missions using each other's spacecraft. However, broader cooperation has stalled. Plans for possible Russian participation in NASA's Artemis lunar exploration programme have been shelved, while Roscosmos has expanded cooperation with China on a planned lunar mission as Russia has become increasingly dependent on Beijing for technology imports and energy exports amid Western sanctions.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday abandoned plans to impose fees on ships using the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf nations would instead boost investment in the United States, as renewed U.S. strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on shipping and American allies further undermined an interim peace agreement. The temporary deal had been expected to reopen the strategic waterway, a vital route for global energy supplies, while giving negotiators time to work toward a permanent settlement to the conflict. Instead, fighting has escalated again, raising concerns over the global economy and prompting new warnings for commercial airlines. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's traded crude oil and natural gas passes during peacetime, has become the centre of the conflict. During the war, Iran effectively disrupted traffic by attacking and threatening vessels, pushing up global prices for oil, fertiliser and other commodities. More recently, Iran has targeted ships using a U.S.-supervised shipping route outside its territorial waters, triggering a series of retaliatory strikes. Washington has warned it could reopen the strait by force, although experts say such an operation would require a much larger military deployment. Trump replaces shipping fees with Gulf investment plan On Monday, Trump announced that the U.S. would reimpose a blockade on Iranian ports and charge ships fees equal to 20% of their cargo value to help cover the cost of securing the strait. However, he reversed the fee proposal a day later, while confirming that the blockade would still take effect in the coming hours. "Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump wrote on social media. He said the expected investments would be "massive," although it remains unclear whether they represent new commitments beyond those announced during his Middle East visit last year. US-Iran exchanges continue The U.S. military's Central Command said it had struck several targets in Iran, including coastal defence systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime facilities. Iran confirmed the attacks but did not immediately report casualties or damage. The U.S. military said the strikes were aimed at reducing Iran's ability to target civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan and three tankers travelling through the strait. Kuwait's military also reported responding to an aerial attack but provided no further details. Two of the targeted tankers, linked to the United Arab Emirates, caught fire temporarily. The International Maritime Organization said the attacks on the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah killed two mariners and injured 14 others. The UAE warned it would retaliate. Dutch shipping company Stolt Tankers said one of its vessels, Stolt Magnesium, came under attack off the coast of Oman, causing a fire in its engine room. The company said all crew members were safe. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah had ignored repeated warnings. Tehran has previously targeted vessels using a shipping route near Oman that lies outside Iranian territorial waters. Hours after Washington announced it had ended its latest round of strikes, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that at least four locations in the Gulf city of Bushehr had come under attack, raising speculation that Gulf Arab states may have carried out retaliatory strikes without publicly acknowledging them. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised airlines to avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf of Oman, warning that the volatile military situation posed a high risk to civilian flights. Interim agreement under growing strain The renewed violence has placed the interim peace agreement under increasing pressure. The 60-day deal was intended to provide time for negotiations on a broader accord, including Iran's disputed nuclear programme and other regional issues. Trump's decision to restore the blockade further complicates those efforts. The United States had lifted a blockade imposed in mid-April as part of the temporary agreement, but the U.S. military said it would reinstate it from midnight Wednesday in Dubai. The proposed shipping fees would also have marked a major shift in longstanding U.S. policy, departing from recent assurances by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the strait would remain open to all vessels without tolls. Under the interim agreement, Iran agreed to allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, but the arrangement did not specify what would happen afterward. Tehran maintains it has the right to regulate traffic through the waterway and potentially impose charges, a position disputed by Washington. Brent crude oil briefly climbed above $87 a barrel early Tuesday, well below the nearly $120 peak seen during the height of the conflict but still high enough to fuel inflation concerns. Prices later fell to around $78 after Trump announced he was dropping the fee plan. Mediation efforts continue Regional mediators are continuing efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials familiar with the talks. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Pakistan-led mediation was working around the clock to revive the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Lebanese and Israeli delegations were scheduled to meet in Rome on Tuesday for another round of U.S.-mediated negotiations. Hezbollah entered the conflict in support of Iran shortly after the war began on Feb. 28, launching attacks on Israel that prompted an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon. Last month, Lebanon and Israel announced a framework agreement calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament, but implementation has stalled. Although a ceasefire currently holds in Lebanon, uncertainty remains over whether it can survive if fighting between the United States and Iran escalates into a full-scale war once again.

Philippine police are investigating the killing of an American marine biologist who was shot dead by three masked men who forced their way into his home in the central Philippines over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. Police said Kent Carpenter, 73, was at his house in the coastal town of Sibulan in Negros Oriental province with his Filipina companion on Sunday night when three men entered the home. According to police, citing Carpenter's companion, one of the intruders pulled out a gun and shot Carpenter in the head, killing him instantly. The attackers then fled with a laptop, an unspecified amount of cash and a backpack, national police spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co told reporters. Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said Carpenter's companion sustained unspecified injuries during the incident and was receiving treatment. Investigators are working to determine the motive behind the killing and identify the suspects. Malong said Carpenter, a marine biologist, had served as a lecturer at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. He added that the U.S. Embassy in Manila had been informed of the incident. The U.S. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. "We assure the victim's family, the community and our foreign visitors that this case is being treated with utmost urgency and no effort will be spared until justice is served," regional police director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño said. Several environmental and biodiversity organisations in the Philippines expressed grief over Carpenter's death. Silliman University described Carpenter as an outstanding scientist who had collaborated with the institution on marine research and studies since 1976. "Dr. Carpenter made groundbreaking contributions that transformed global understanding of Philippine marine biodiversity," the university said.

Hundreds of firefighters continued battling two wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Tuesday after the blazes burned nearly 2,000 hectares (about 4,900 acres) and forced around 1,000 people to evacuate, local authorities said. Although larger wildfires have been affecting southern France, the Fontainebleau blaze is unusual because of its proximity to the densely populated region surrounding the French capital. Water-bombing aircraft repeatedly scooped water from the Seine River to fight the flames, marking the first time such planes have been deployed for firefighting operations in the Paris region, according to the regional fire chief. Smoke covered the treetops and lingered across the area as emergency crews worked to bring the fires under control. Authorities said no deaths or injuries had been reported. Four days after a devastating wildfire swept through a remote expatriate community in southern Spain, judicial authorities said they had identified 10 of the 13 victims through biological samples. Most of the victims were foreign nationals. They included five British citizens — among them a woman who later died in hospital — three Belgian nationals, one French woman and one Spanish citizen, according to a statement issued late Monday. Ten people are still missing. The Los Gallardos wildfire scorched about 70 square kilometres (27 square miles) of forest and farmland, covering an area larger than Manhattan. Spain is facing extreme heat, and combined with strong winds and limited rainfall, conditions have allowed small wildfires to spread rapidly. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended Tuesday's scheduled launch of a joint U.S.-Russian crew to the International Space Station (ISS), highlighting continued space cooperation between Washington and Moscow despite ongoing tensions over Russia's war in Ukraine. Isaacman's visit to the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan marked the first trip by a NASA chief to the facility in eight years. During a meeting with the crew on Monday, Isaacman thanked Russia's state space agency, Roscosmos, for its efforts in preparing the mission, saying the work carried out over the past several months demonstrated the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved. Ahead of the launch, Isaacman also met Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were set to lift off aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month mission aboard the ISS. The mission will be Menon's first journey to space, while it marks the second spaceflight for both Dubrov and Kikina. Once aboard the station, the three will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev. Former Cold War rivals, the United States and Russia have continued to cooperate on the ISS and other space activities despite strained relations following Russia's military action in Ukraine in 2022. The two countries have maintained crew exchange missions, with American and Russian astronauts flying aboard each other's spacecraft. However, broader space cooperation has stalled. Plans for possible Russian participation in NASA's Artemis lunar exploration programme have been abandoned, while Roscosmos has expanded cooperation with China on a planned lunar mission as Russia deepens economic and technological ties with Beijing amid Western sanctions.

Spain's famous San Fermin festival ended on Tuesday with two Spanish runners being gored during the eighth and final bull run. An 18-year-old man from Pamplona was gored in the thigh at the first bend of the route after a bull charged into a small group of runners. The animal knocked two men onto the cobblestone street and tossed another over its horns. A 46-year-old man from central Spain was gored in the chest near the end of the route, where the path narrows before entering the bullring. The bulls are later killed there by matadors during the day's bullfights. Both injured men were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Eight other runners, including an 86-year-old British man, received medical care for minor injuries. The six fighting bulls, accompanied by steers, completed the 875-metre route from the holding pen to the bullring in about two and a half minutes. Their speed often catches runners off guard, especially with more than a thousand people packed into the narrow streets. The last death during the San Fermin bull runs occurred in 2009. However, serious injuries, including gorings and broken bones, remain common as many first-time participants and foreign tourists join experienced local runners. Many injuries also happen when frightened runners fall. This year's San Fermin festival marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises, which helped bring the festival worldwide recognition.

At least 11 people, most of them women and children, were killed overnight after heavy rain caused the roof of a mud-brick house to collapse in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and rescue officials said Tuesday. The incident took place in Kohat district, said Bilal Faizi, spokesperson for the provincial emergency service. Rescue teams recovered the bodies from the debris and handed them over to their families for burial, Faizi said. Meanwhile, heavy monsoon rain also battered the Gilgit-Baltistan region on Monday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads and damaged homes, according to regional emergency services. Authorities have advised tourists to avoid travelling to northern Pakistan because of the increased risk of landslides and flash floods. Pakistan experiences heavy monsoon rainfall every year, and the seasonal downpours often cause floods and landslides, leading to deaths and widespread destruction. In 2022, record monsoon rains and devastating floods submerged nearly one-third of the country, killing 1,739 people and causing an estimated $30 billion in losses.