NEWS ON DATE - 29-03-2024
Eight ways to overcome waste pollution crisis
Humanity generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste a year, according to UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
When improperly managed, much of that refuse—from food and plastics to electronics and textiles—emits greenhouse gases or poisonous chemicals.
This damages ecosystems, inflicts disease and threatens economic prosperity, disproportionately harming women and youth.
On 30 March, the world will mark the International Day of Zero Waste.
The observance, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), highlights the importance of proper waste management.
It also focuses on ways to rein in the conspicuous consumption that is feeding the waste crisis.
“Overconsumption is killing us. Humanity needs an intervention,” says UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “On this Zero Waste Day, let’s pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all.”
Here are eight ways to embrace a zero waste approach:
1. Combat food waste
Some 19 per cent of food available to consumers is wasted annually despite 783 million people going hungry. Around 8 to 10 per cent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of food that is ultimately squandered.
There are lots of ways to turn that tide. Municipalities can promote urban agriculture and use food waste in animal husbandry, farming, green-space maintenance and more. They can also fund food waste composting schemes, segregate food waste at source and ban food from dumpsites. Meanwhile, consumers can buy only what they need, embrace less appealing but perfectly edible fruits and vegetables, store food more wisely, use up leftovers, compost food scraps instead of throwing them away, and donate food before it goes bad, something made easier by a bevy of apps.
2. Take on textile waste
Less than 1 per cent of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new items, resulting in over US$100 billion in annual material value loss. The textiles industry also uses the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every year.
To counter that, the fashion industry needs to become more circular. Brands and retailers can offer more circular business models and products that last longer and can be remade, governments can provide infrastructure for collecting and sorting used textiles, communicators—including influencers and brand managers—can shift fashion’s marketing narrative, and consumers can assess if their clothing purchases are necessary.
“Zero waste makes sense on every level,” says Michal Mlynár, UN-Habitat Acting Executive Director. “By retaining materials within the economy and enhancing waste management practices, we bring benefits to our economies, our societies, our planet and ourselves.”
3. Avoid electronic waste
Electronics, from computers to phones, are clogging dumpsites around the world as manufacturers continually encourage consumers to purchase brand-new devices.
Through robust policymaking, governments can encourage consumers to keep their products for longer while pushing manufacturers to offer repair services, a change that would bring a host of economic benefits. They can also implement extended producer responsibility, a policy that can ensure producers of material goods are responsible for the management and treatment of waste. This can keep raw materials and goods in the economic cycle and inspire consumer waste prevention, eco-design, and optimization of waste collection.
“As the world drowns in waste, humanity must act,” says Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division. “We have the solutions to solve the waste pollution crisis. We just need commitment, collaboration and investment from governments, businesses and individuals to implement them.”
4. Reduce resource use in products
Raw material use has more than tripled over the last 50 years, driving the destruction of natural spaces and fueling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Producers can follow nationally determined eco-design standards to reduce energy and resource use while minimizing hazardous chemicals in production. These standards also ensure products are durable, repairable and recyclable while use.
This should be part of a larger effort to design products through what is known as the lifecycle approach. This entails reducing resource use and emissions to the environment throughout all stages of a product’s life, from production to recycling.
5. Crack down on plastic pollution
Plastics are commonly used in electronics, textiles and single-use products. Some 85 per cent of single-use plastic bottles, containers and packaging end up in landfills or are mismanaged. Because plastic does not biodegrade, it contributes to major health impacts as microplastics infiltrate food and water sources.
In addition to phasing out single-use plastics and improving waste management, establishing a global monitoring and reporting system can help end plastic pollution.
6. Take on hazardous waste
Chemicals are prevalent in daily life – electronics can contain mercury, cosmetics may have lead and cleaning supplies often have persistent organic pollutants. Chemical and hazardous waste require specialized treatment and disposal, yet some governments fail to meet standards set in the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions. Hazardous chemicals and waste cross borders, unauthorized or even illegally.
Governments can commit to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), like the BRS conventions, which institutionalize intergovernmental and cross-sectoral cooperation through binding targets and action plans.
Citizens can educate themselves about substances and waste types that are restricted or banned under the MEAs and demand that governments and industries remove them from the global market.
7. Rethink how cities are designed and managed
By 2050, 68 per cent of the world is expected to live in cities. Investing in energy-efficient buildings leads to long-term reductions in construction and demolition, which generate significant amounts of waste and account for 37 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Bolster waste management through investment and training
Globally, around 25 per cent of waste is left uncollected, while 39 per cent is not managed in controlled facilities. Global waste management incurs a total net cost of US$361 billion annually. By ending uncontrolled disposal, reducing waste generation, and increasing recycling, governments can generate an annual net gain of US$108.1 billion by 2050.
Facebook News tab will soon be unavailable as Meta scales back news and political content
Meta will be sunsetting Facebook News in early April for users in the U.S. and Australia as the platform further deemphasizes news and politics. The feature was shut down in the U.K., France and Germany last year.
Launched in 2019, the News tab curated headlines from national and international news organizations, as well as smaller, local publications.
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Meta says users will still be able to view links to news articles, and news organizations will still be able to post and promote their stories and websites, as any other individual or organization can on Facebook.
The change comes as Meta tries to scale back news and political content on its platforms following years of criticism about how it handles misinformation and whether it contributes to political polarization.
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“This change does not impact posts from accounts people choose to follow; it impacts what the system recommends, and people can control if they want more,” said Dani Lever, a Meta spokesperson. “This announcement expands on years of work on how we approach and treat political content based on what people have told us they wanted.”
Meta said the change to the News tab does not affect its fact-checking network and review of misinformation.
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But misinformation remains a challenge for the company, especially as the U.S. presidential election and other races get underway.
“Facebook didn’t envision itself as a political platform. It was run by tech people. And then suddenly it started scaling and they found themselves immersed in politics, and they themselves became the headline,” said Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy who studies tech policy and how new technologies evolve over time. “I think with many big elections coming up this year, it’s not surprising that Facebook is taking yet another step away from politics so that they can just not, inadvertently, themselves become a political headline.”
Rick Edmonds, media analyst for Poynter, said the dissolution of the News tab is not surprising for news organizations that have been seeing diminishing Facebook traffic to their websites for several years, spurring organizations to focus on other ways to attract an audience, such as search and newsletters.
“I would say if you’ve been watching, you could see this coming, but it’s one more very hurtful thing to the business of news,” Edmonds said.
News makes up less than 3% of what users worldwide see in their Facebook feeds, Meta said, adding that the number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the U.S. dropped by over 80% last year.
However, according to a 2023 Pew Research study, half of U.S. adults get news at least sometimes from social media. And one platform outpaces the rest: Facebook.
Three in 10 U.S. adults say they regularly get news from Facebook, according to Pew, and 16% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news from Instagram, also owned by Meta.
Instagram users recently expressed dissatisfaction with the app's choice to stop “proactively” recommending political content posted on accounts that users don’t follow. While the option to turn off the filter was always available in user settings, many people were not aware Meta made the change.
Bus plunges off bridge in South Africa killing 45 people
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
The only survivor of the crash was an 8-year-old child, who was receiving medical attention, according to authorities in the northern province of Limpopo. They said the child was seriously injured.
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The Limpopo provincial government said the bus veered off the Mmamatlakala bridge and plunged 50 meters (164 feet) into a ravine before busting into flames.
Search operations were ongoing, the provincial government said, but many bodies were burned beyond recognition and still trapped inside the vehicle.
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Authorities said they believe the bus was traveling from the neighboring country of Botswana to the town of Moria, which hosts a popular Easter pilgrimage. They said it appeared that the driver lost control and was one of the dead.
Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga was in Limpopo province for a road safety campaign and changed plans to visit the crash scene, the national Department of Transport said. She said there was an investigation underway into the cause of the crash and offered her condolences to the families of the victims.
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The South African government often warns of the danger of road accidents during the Easter holidays, which is a particularly busy and dangerous time for road travel. More than 200 people died in road crashes during the Easter weekend last year.
The Zionist Christian Church has its headquarters in Moria and its Easter pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands of people from across South Africa and neighboring countries. This year is the first time the Easter pilgrimage to Moria is set to go ahead since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two beaten to death on suspicion of cow theft in Gazipur
Two people were beaten to death on suspicion of cow theft in Kapasia upazila of Gazipur early Friday.
One person was killed in Namila village of the Singhashree union in Kapasia and another in Baribari village of the same union. The identities of the deceased were not immediately known.
Abu Bakkar Mia, officer-in-charge of Kapasia Police Station, confirmed the matter.
According to locals and police, some unknown people entered a farmer's house in Namila village in Kapasia to steal cows. The people of the house realised the theft of the cow and gathered local people. At that time, one died on the spot due to a mob beating.
Another hid in a neighbouring village after being chased by the locals. Later, the mob found him and beat him up, killing him on the spot.
The bodies were recovered and sent to the Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Hezbollah fires heavy rockets at northern Israel after deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets with heavy warheads at towns in northern Israel, saying it used the weapons against civilian targets for the first time Thursday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before that killed nine, including what the group said were several paramedics.
There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the rocket attack, local media said. The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the rocket attack.
Israel vows to target Lebanon's Hezbollah even if cease-fire reached with Hamas in Gaza
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, concerns have grown that near-daily clashes along the border between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a full-scale war. Airstrikes and rocket fire Wednesday killed 16 Lebanese and one Israeli, making it the deadliest day of the current conflict.
Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel had killed 30 Hezbollah militants in the past week and had destroyed dozens of Hezbollah military sites in an effort to push the Iran-backed group away from the border.
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The recent increase in violence has raised alarm in Washington and at the United Nations.
“Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring developments. “We’ve also been very, very clear: We do not support a war in Lebanon.”
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Kirby said the U.S. is working to halt the fighting through diplomatic efforts. This needs to be a top priority for Israel and Lebanon, he said, and would allow displaced civilians to return home. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have fled the fighting.
At around sunset Thursday, a barrage of Katyusha and Burkan rockets was fired toward the Israeli village of Goren and Shlomi, a statement from Hezbollah said. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the group had not previously fired Burkan rockets at civilian targets, but was now responding to the recent spate of Israeli airstrikes.
Lebanon’s state media reported that 10 paramedics were among those killed Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck targets for Hezbollah and an allied Sunni Muslim group.
Hezbollah has frequently used Russian-made portable anti-tank Kornet missiles in recent months. More rarely, it has launched Burkan rockets which, according to the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).
Hezbollah says its attacks aim to keep some Israeli divisions busy and away from Gaza, and Nasrallah says attacks on the border will only stop when Israel halts its offensive in Gaza.
Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Thursday he has discussed with Israeli counterparts that Israel doesn’t need “to have a northern front that they have to deal with as they’re dealing with Gaza.” And he said he spoke with Lebanon’s chief of defense also, in an effort to do what the U.S. can to “help bring down the temperature.”
The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL said Thursday it was imperative that “this escalation cease immediately.”
“We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution,” UNIFIL said. It added that the peacekeeping force remains ready to support that process in any way it can.
The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel. More than 240 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians have died in Lebanon.
Weather forecast: Scattered showers in five divisions, says BMD
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) predicted scattered rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty or squally winds for Friday.
These conditions are expected to affect one or two places within Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions, according to BMD’s weather bulletin.
Dhaka air 3rd worst in the world this morning
Elsewhere in Bangladesh, the weather is expected to remain mostly dry with occasional partly cloudy skies. Day and night temperatures are forecasted to remain relatively unchanged throughout the country, it said.
Weather forecast: Rain across Bangladesh with thunderstorms in some areas, BMD says
Dhaka air 3rd worst in the world this morning
Dhaka ranked third on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality Friday morning.
Its air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone with an air quality index (AQI) score of 173 at 9:09 am, according to the air quality index.
Dhaka air world’s worst this morning
India’s Delhi, Thailand’s Chiang Mai occupied the first two spots on the list, with AQI scores of 197 and 182, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
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In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria 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.
Dhaka air third worst in the world this morning
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year.
UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza
The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into the war-ravaged enclave.
The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its military campaign launched after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Israel denies it is committing genocide. It says its military campaign is self defense and aimed at Hamas, not the Palestinian people.
Thursday’s order came after South Africa sought more provisional measures, including a cease-fire, citing starvation in Gaza. Israel urged the court not to issue new orders.
In its legally binding order, the court told Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
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It also ordered Israel to immediately ensure that its military does not take action that could that could harm Palestinians' rights under the Genocide Convention, including by preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
The court told Israel to report back in a month on its implementation of the orders.
Israel declared war in response to a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage. Israel responded with a campaign of airstrikes and a ground offensive that have left over 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities. The fighting also displaced over 80% of Gaza's population and caused widespread damage.
The U.N. and international aid agencies say virtually the entire Gaza population is struggling to get enough food, with hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, especially in hard-hit northern Gaza.
South Africa welcomed Thursday's decision, calling it “significant.”
“The fact that Palestinian deaths are not solely caused by bombardment and ground attacks, but also by disease and starvation, indicates a need to protect the group’s right to exist,” the South African president said in a statement.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the order.
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In a written response earlier this month to South Africa's request for more measures, Israel said the claims by South Africa were “wholly unfounded," “morally repugnant" and "an abuse both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court itself.”
After initially sealing Gaza’s borders in the early days of the war, Israel began to permit entry of humanitarian supplies. It says it places no restrictions on the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to properly organize the deliveries.
The U.N. and international aid groups say deliveries have been impeded by Israeli military restrictions, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order.
Israel has been working with international partners on a plan to soon begin deliveries of aid by sea.
Israel has repeatedly feuded with the United Nations, particularly UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and main provider of aid in Gaza. Israel accuses the agency of tolerating and even cooperating with Hamas — a charge UNRWA denies.
The court said in its order that “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in." It cited a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that said at least 31 people, including 27 children, have already died of malnutrition and dehydration.
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The world court said earlier orders imposed on Israel after landmark hearings in South Africa’s case “do not fully address the consequences arising from the changes in the situation” in Gaza.
On Tuesday, the army said it inspected 258 aid trucks, but only 116 were distributed within Gaza by the U.N.
COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, has also run pilot programs to inspect the humanitarian aid at Israel’s main checkpoints in the south and then use land crossings in central Gaza to try to bring aid to the devastated northern part of the Strip. The agency had no immediate comment on the ICJ ruling.
Star Cineplex brings ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ for cine lovers
To enthral the moviegoers and the fans of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful ‘MonsterVerse’ franchise, Star Cineplex is bringing the new Hollywood film ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ on the same day of its global release.
The film is going to be released internationally on March 29, and will also be released in Star Cineplex branches across Bangladesh on the same day.
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The fifth film in the MonsterVerse franchise, the 38th film in the Godzilla franchise and the 13th film in the King Kong franchise, the film is a sequel to ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021) which was a great commercial and critical success despite being released during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
With Adam Wingard once again in the director’s chair, the film stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen. Among the artists, Rebecca Hall, Henry, and Hottle reprised their roles from the previous film.
One inhabits a forested desert island, while the other is a prehistoric-looking monster rising from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. One lives on a mysterious island called Skull Island - while the other is from beneath the ocean. With their two distinct origins, Kong and Godzilla get together to combat a mystery Hollow Earth menace while simultaneously focusing on the Titans' and Skull Island's unexplored origins.
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The popularity of Legendary Film's MonsterVerse franchise is evident from the fact that the films in the MonsterVerse franchise have brought a completely different appeal to the audience due to their eye-catching graphics and skilful editing, according to the cinephiles.
Two siblings drown in Chandpur
Two siblings drowned in a pond at Faridkandi village in Chandpur's Matlab Uttar upazila on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Samiul, 4, and Samia, 3, son and daughter of Md Parvez Hasan of the village.
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The two kids went missing when they were playing near the water body on Thursday afternoon.
Later their family members, along with local people, searched for them. Around 5:30 pm, they rescued the kids and took them to Upazila Health Complex where doctors pronounced them dead.
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Matlab North Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shaheed Hossain said they did not receive any complaints over the deaths.