United News of Bangladesh

Melissa Hortman, once a teenager making chili cheese burritos and later a powerful Democratic leader in Minnesota’s deeply divided Legislature, is being remembered for her compassion, resilience, and unwavering commitment to public service following her tragic death. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot early Saturday at their home in suburban Brooklyn Park in what authorities have described as targeted political violence. Their deaths came just hours after attending a major Democratic event in Minneapolis. A lifelong resident of the Minneapolis area, Hortman pursued her higher education at Boston University before returning to Minnesota for law school. She began her career as a volunteer lawyer combating housing discrimination and entered politics in 2004 when she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Over the years, she rose to prominence and helped pass significant liberal legislation, including a 2023 initiative providing free lunches to public school students. As House Speaker, she played a pivotal role in breaking a recent budget deadlock after the chamber became evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Known for her bipartisan negotiations, Hortman cast the decisive vote last week to pass a contentious budget bill, despite Democratic opposition to a provision ending state health coverage for undocumented adult immigrants by 2026. "I know that people will be hurt by that vote," she admitted emotionally, while stressing the need for compromise. Galapagos tortoise turns 135 and celebrates first Father’s Day at Zoo Miami Beyond politics, Hortman was active in community service. She and her family volunteered with Helping Paws, an organization training service dogs for veterans, and she served on the board of a nonprofit that provides car repairs for low-income residents. A photo shared by Helping Paws shows Hortman smiling with Gilbert, a golden retriever trained and adopted by her family. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a close ally, paid tribute to her friend on ABC’s "This Week," calling her “a true leader” and “such a decent person.” U.S. Senator Tina Smith echoed those sentiments, noting the personal loss felt by the political community after seeing Hortman at Friday’s party dinner named after Minnesota icons Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale. In a separate but possibly linked incident, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and wounded at their home in nearby Champlin. Both are recovering after surgery. Outside the Minnesota State Capitol, mourners have set up a memorial for Hortman and her husband, leaving flowers, flags, candles, and handwritten notes of gratitude for her service — one simply read, “You changed countless lives.” Before her political rise, Hortman’s résumé included stints as a taco maker, caterer, and auto parts store runner. She earned degrees in philosophy, political science, and law, and later obtained a master’s in public administration from Harvard. Her husband, Mark, held a physics degree and an MBA, and co-founded a consulting firm after a career in the auto parts industry. He also worked with Habitat for Humanity. The couple is survived by their adult son and daughter. “We remember Melissa for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making the world better,” Helping Paws wrote in a tribute on social media. Source: With inputs from agency 

The oldest animal at a South Florida zoo marked a major milestone on Sunday, celebrating both his 135th birthday and his first Father’s Day. Goliath, a 517-pound (234-kg) Galapagos tortoise at Zoo Miami, recently became a father for the first time, zoo officials announced. “Goliath is my hero, and I believe he’ll soon inspire many others!” said Zoo Miami spokesperson Ron Magill in a statement. “He shows us that with determination, anything is possible—never give up!” Out of eight eggs laid on January 27, one successfully hatched on June 4. This marks not only Goliath’s first baby, but also the first Galapagos tortoise ever hatched at Zoo Miami. These tortoises, once devastated by human impact and invasive species in the Galapagos Islands, still face modern threats such as climate change and habitat destruction. Records show Goliath hatched on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos sometime between 1885 and 1890. The island chain lies near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of mainland Ecuador. Goliath was brought to the Bronx Zoo in 1929 and relocated to Zoo Miami in 1981. Although he has previously mated with several females, he had never fathered a baby until now. The mother of the hatchling, Sweet Pea, is estimated to be between 85 and 100 years old. Zoo staff report that both tortoise parents are doing well in their exhibit, while the hatchling is healthy and being kept in a separate area. In the wild, hatchlings are not cared for by their parents.

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) launched its ‘Animation Short Film Development Workshop’ on Saturday, a pioneering initiative aimed at nurturing new voices in Bangladesh’s animation industry. The inauguration ceremony took place at 6 pm at AFD’s Auditorium Nouvelle Vague, beginning with an introduction to the workshop’s core vision and objectives, with participation from aspiring animators, filmmakers, and cultural enthusiasts. This unique workshop focuses on the development phase of animation film production, guiding selected participants through three foundational pillars: research, writing, and design. It is structured to provide intensive mentorship, equipping participants with the tools to develop strong, production-ready projects and to engage with potential collaborators, producers, and funding bodies both nationally and internationally. Whether participants are interested in fiction, non-fiction, or experimental formats, the workshop’s curriculum is designed to enhance a broad range of creative practices. Through this collaborative space, selected individuals will develop their own short film projects that blend local narratives with global sensibilities. SCO film festival to kick off in China's Chongqing The workshop is coordinated by Sara Hossain, an acclaimed animation filmmaker and writer based in Dhaka. Till June 17, Individuals passionate about animation, storytelling, filmmaking, or video art are encouraged to apply, and further details and the application form are available at www.afdhaka.org.

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilson's family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details weren't immediately available. Since May 2024, Wilson had been under a court conservatorship to oversee his personal and medical affairs, with Wilson’s longtime representatives, publicist Jean Sievers and manager LeeAnn Hard, in charge. The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers — Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums — he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rock’s great Romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound. The Beach Boys rank among the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million. The 1966 album “Pet Sounds” was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and childhood friend Al Jardine, were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson feuded with Love over songwriting credits, but peers otherwise adored him beyond envy, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Katy Perry and Carole King. The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, fantasized about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney cited “Pet Sounds” as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the ballad “God Only Knows” as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. Wilson moved and fascinated fans and musicians long after he stopped having hits. In his later years, Wilson and a devoted entourage of younger musicians performed “Pet Sounds” and his restored opus, “Smile,” before worshipful crowds in concert halls. Meanwhile, The Go-Go’s, Lindsey Buckingham, Animal Collective and Janelle Monáe were among a wide range of artists who emulated him, whether as a master of crafting pop music or as a pioneer of pulling it apart. An endless summer The Beach Boys’ music was like an ongoing party, with Wilson as host and wallflower. He was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly because of beatings by his father, Murry Wilson), with a sweet, crooked grin, and he rarely touched a surfboard unless a photographer was around. But out of the lifestyle that he observed and such musical influences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured a golden soundscape — sweet melodies, shining harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls — that resonated across time and climates. Decades after its first release, a Beach Boys song can still conjure instant summer — the wake-up guitar riff that opens “Surfin’ USA”; the melting vocals of “Don’t Worry Baby”; the chants of “fun, fun, fun” or “good, good, GOOD, good vibrations”; the behind-the-wheel chorus “’Round, ’round, get around, I get around.” Beach Boys songs have endured from turntables and transistor radios to boom boxes and iPhones, or any device that could lie on a beach towel or be placed upright in the sand. Frederick Forsyth, author of 'The Day of the Jackal,' dies at 86 The band’s innocent appeal survived the group’s increasingly troubled backstory, whether Brian’s many personal trials, the feuds and lawsuits among band members or the alcoholism of Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983. Brian Wilson’s ambition raised the Beach Boys beyond the pleasures of their early hits and into a world transcendent, eccentric and destructive. They seemed to live out every fantasy, and many nightmares, of the California myth they helped create. From the suburbs to the national stage Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney. His musical gifts were soon obvious, and as a boy he was playing piano and teaching his brothers to sing harmony. The Beach Boys started as a neighborhood act, rehearsing in Brian’s bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music, mostly instrumental in its early years, was catching on locally: Dennis Wilson, the group’s only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Love hastily wrote up their first single, “Surfin,’” a minor hit released in 1961. They wanted to call themselves the Pendletones, in honor of a popular flannel shirt they wore in early publicity photos. But when they first saw the pressings for “Surfin,’” they discovered the record label had tagged them “The Beach Boys.” Other decisions were handled by their father, a musician of some frustration who hired himself as manager and holy terror. By mid-decade, Murry Wilson had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the band’s recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge, making the Beach Boys the rare group of the time to work without an outside producer. Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with “Surfin’ USA,” so closely modeled on Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit. It was their first Top 10 hit and a boast to the nation: “If everybody had an ocean / across the USA / then everybody’d be surfin,’ / like Cali-for-nye-ay.” From 1963-66, they were rarely off the charts, hitting No. 1 with “I Get Around” and “Help Me, Rhonda” and narrowly missing with “California Girls” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” For television appearances, they wore candy-striped shirts and grinned as they mimed their latest hit, with a hot rod or surfboard nearby. Their music echoed private differences. Wilson often contrasted his own bright falsetto with Love’s nasal, deadpan tenor. The extroverted Love was out front on the fast songs, but when it was time for a slow one, Brian took over. “The Warmth of the Sun” was a song of despair and consolation that Wilson alleged — to some skepticism — he wrote the morning after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. “Don’t Worry Baby,” a ballad equally intoxicating and heartbreaking, was a leading man’s confession of doubt and dependence, an early sign of Brian’s crippling anxieties. Stress and exhaustion led to a breakdown in 1964 and his retirement from touring, his place soon filled by Bruce Johnston, who remained with the group for decades. Wilson was an admirer of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” productions and emulated him on Beach Boys tracks, adding sleigh bells to “Dance, Dance, Dance” or arranging a mini-theme park of guitar, horns, percussion and organ as the overture to “California Girls.” By the mid-1960s, the Beach Boys were being held up as the country’s answer to the Beatles, a friendly game embraced by each group, transporting pop music to the level of “art” and leaving Wilson a broken man. The Beach Boys vs. The Beatles The Beatles opened with “Rubber Soul,” released in late 1965 and their first studio album made without the distractions of movies or touring. It was immediately praised as a major advance, the lyrics far more personal and the music far more subtle and sophisticated than such earlier hits as “She Loves You” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” Wilson would recall getting high and listening to the record for the first time, promising himself he would not only keep up with the British band, but top them. Ways to safeguard yourself from poor air quality resulting from Canada's wildfires Wilson worked for months on what became “Pet Sounds,” and months on the single “Good Vibrations.” He hired an outside lyricist, Tony Asher, and used various studios, with dozens of musicians and instruments ranging from violins to bongos to the harpsichord. The air seemed to cool on some tracks and the mood turn reflective, autumnal. From “I Know There’s an Answer” to “You Still Believe in Me,” many of the songs were ballads, reveries, brushstrokes of melody, culminating in the sonic wonders of “Good Vibrations,” a psychedelic montage that at times sounded as if recorded in outer space. The results were momentous, yet disappointing. “Good Vibrations” was the group’s first million-seller and “Pet Sounds,” which included the hits “Sloop John B” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” awed McCartney, John Lennon and Eric Clapton among others. Widely regarded as a new kind of rock LP, it was more suited to headphones than to the radio, a “concept” album in which individual songs built to a unified experience, so elaborately crafted in the studio that “Pet Sounds” couldn’t be replicated live with the technology of the time. Wilson was likened not just to the Beatles, but to Mozart and George Gershwin, whose “Rhapsody in Blue” had inspired him since childhood. But the album didn’t chart as highly as previous Beach Boys releases and was treated indifferently by the U.S. record label, Capitol. The Beatles, meanwhile, were absorbing lessons from the Beach Boys and teaching some in return. “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper,” the Beatles’ next two albums, drew upon the Beach Boys’ vocal tapestries and melodic bass lines and even upon the animal sounds from the title track of “Pet Sounds.” The Beatles’ epic “A Day in the Life” reconfirmed the British band as kings of the pop world and “Sgt. Pepper” as the album to beat. All eyes turned to Wilson and his intended masterpiece — a “teenage symphony to God” he called “Smile.” It was a whimsical cycle of songs on nature and American folklore written with lyricist Van Dyke Parks. The production bordered on method acting; for a song about fire, Wilson wore a fire helmet in the studio. The other Beach Boys were confused, and strained to work with him. A shaken Wilson delayed “Smile,” then canceled it. Remnants, including the songs “Heroes and Villains” and “Wind Chimes” were re-recorded and issued in September 1967 on “Smiley Smile,” dismissed by Carl Wilson as a “bunt instead of a grand slam.” The stripped down “Wild Honey,” released three months later, became a critical favorite but didn’t restore the band’s reputation. The Beach Boys soon descended into an oldies act, out of touch with the radical ’60s, and Wilson withdrew into seclusion. Years of struggle, and late life validation Addicted to drugs and psychologically helpless, sometimes idling in a sandbox he had built in his living room, Wilson didn’t fully produce another Beach Boys record for years. Their biggest hit of the 1970s was a greatest hits album, “Endless Summer,” that also helped reestablish them as popular concert performers. Although well enough in the 21st century to miraculously finish “Smile” and tour and record again, Wilson had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and baffled interviewers with brief and disjointed answers. Among the stranger episodes of Wilson’s life was his relationship with Dr. Eugene Landy, a psychotherapist accused of holding a Svengali-like power over him. A 1991 lawsuit from Wilson’s family blocked Landy from Wilson’s personal and business affairs. His first marriage, to singer Marilyn Rovell, ended in divorce and he became estranged from daughters Carnie and Wendy, who would help form the pop trio Wilson Phillips. His life stabilized in 1995 with his marriage to Melinda Ledbetter, who gave birth to two more daughters, Daria and Delanie. He also reconciled with Carnie and Wendy and they sang together on the 1997 album “The Wilsons.” (Melinda Ledbetter died in 2024.) In 1992, Brian Wilson eventually won a $10 million out-of-court settlement for lost songwriting royalties. But that victory and his 1991 autobiography, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice: My Own Story,” set off other lawsuits that tore apart the musical family. Carl Wilson and other relatives believed the book was essentially Landy’s version of Brian’s life and questioned whether Brian had even read it. Their mother, Audree Wilson, unsuccessfully sued publisher HarperCollins because the book said she passively watched as her husband beat Brian as a child. Love successfully sued Brian Wilson, saying he was unfairly deprived of royalties after contributing lyrics to dozens of songs. He would eventually gain ownership of the band’s name. The Beach Boys still released an occasional hit single: “Kokomo,” made without Wilson, hit No. 1 in 1988. Wilson, meanwhile, released such solo albums as “Brian Wilson” and “Gettin’ In Over My Head,” with cameos by McCartney and Clapton among others. He also completed a pair of albums for the Walt Disney label — a collection of Gershwin songs and music from Disney movies. In 2012, surviving members of the Beach Boys reunited for a 50th anniversary album, which quickly hit the Top 10 before the group again bickered and separated. Wilson won just two competitive Grammys, for the solo instrumental “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” and for “The Smile Sessions” box set. Otherwise, his honors ranged from a Grammy lifetime achievement prize to a tribute at the Kennedy Center to induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2018, he returned to his old high school in Hawthorne and witnessed the literal rewriting of his past: The principal erased an “F” he had been given in music and awarded him an “A.”

Under cross-examination, Sean “Diddy” Combs ’ ex-girlfriend testified Tuesday she took part in sex acts with male sex workers at the music mogul's request because it made her feel loved by him, but now regrets what she came to recognize as the “cuckold” lifestyle. The woman testified at Combs’ sex-trafficking trial under the pseudonym “Jane” to protect her identity. A day earlier, she revealed their three-year relationship lasted until the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September at New York hotel, where she'd been planning to meet him. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that carry a potential penalty of 15 years to life in prison. He has been jailed without bail. Prosecutors allege Combs used violence, threats and a network of employees and associates to control and abuse women for two decades. His lawyers have told the jury in federal court in Manhattan that although there was domestic violence in his relationships, everything he did sexually was consensual. Earlier in the trial, R&B signer Casandra “ Cassie ” Ventura testified over four days that Combs physically abused her and that she participated in hundreds of “freak-off” sexual performances during a nearly 11-year relationship that ended in 2018. The Associated Press doesn’t name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent unless they have shared their identities publicly, as Cassie has. Dog climbs atop 35-foot tree, dramatic rescue video goes viral Attorney Teny Geragos, representing Combs, cross-examined Jane on Tuesday by leading her into discussing the drug-fueled sexual marathons choreographed by Combs — which Jane said sometimes happened weekly — by reminding her that she mentioned regrets in earlier testimony. “I resent him for leading me into the lifestyle he led me to,” Jane said. “I resented the way he went about introducing me to this lifestyle.” She said she agreed to these “hotel nights” while “under a lot of emotional pressure” — and already hooked on love and a desire to stay in a relationship with Combs. Jane testified that she partook in the encounters, sometimes grudgingly, because they pleased Combs and she enjoyed spending time alone with him afterward. Jane testified she began therapy about three months ago. She previously met with lawyers on Combs' defense team but cut off those meetings in April, days before the trial began. She said she struggles to understand why she kept participating in “hotel nights” even though she only wanted to have sex with Combs, however the reasons are “becoming more and more clear” as she proceeds with therapy. Jane initially felt it was “something very special” to have these secret sexual experiences with Combs. She said she didn't want to judge him and “really wanted to just go along with these things because if I can be my partner's escapes than I would be.” Jane said she researched sexual variations in 2022 and came across the words “cuck” and “cuckold,” which seemed to fit the lifestyle she found herself in because she said a man known as a “cuck” derives pleasure seeing “his woman receive pleasure” from another man. “He likes to use the words ‘voyeurism’ and ‘escapism,’” Jane said. She added: “I would use the word cuck for him more so.” Geragos reminded Jane that she had testified last week that she loves Combs currently. “I do,” she responded. Geragos had Jane read aloud some of the many sexually explicit messages in which she expressed the types of activities she wanted to engage in during “hotel nights” with Combs and male sex workers as she tried to portray Jane as a willing and eager participant in frequent sex events. In Japan, Bobtail cats bring good fortune — and Nagasaki is full of them In earlier testimony, Jane provided recent examples of Combs acting violently toward a woman while seeking to fulfill his sexual desires. Cassie sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled within hours for $20 million, but it touched off the criminal investigation into Combs.

A wounded fox snarls and bares its teeth from inside a cage as a woman approaches. Nicki Townsend, calm and unfazed, gently soothes the animal. Dressed casually and wearing only rubber gloves, she carefully covers the fox’s head with a towel, lifts it by the scruff, and transfers its injured body to a clean enclosure. Though this isn’t her usual morning routine, fox rescue work is anything but predictable. “You never know what you’re walking into,” Townsend explains. While they may not be as iconic as red buses or phone booths, red foxes are a common sight in London. Navigating urban life in gardens, alleys, and busy streets comes with risks — and when they're in trouble, a dedicated rescue service steps in. Townsend is often the one behind the wheel. Rather than invading, foxes moved into the city gradually, following the spread of London into their natural habitat starting in the 1930s. A Divisive Presence Not everyone welcomes them. While many Londoners enjoy spotting foxes on their evening walks or sunbathing in yards, others see them as nuisances — leaving droppings, rummaging through trash, and howling eerily during mating season. “It’s like Marmite,” Townsend says, comparing the public’s feelings to the love-it-or-hate-it food spread. “You’re either for them or against them.” This public divide inspired Trevor Williams to start The Fox Project about 35 years ago. Formerly a rock musician who campaigned against fox hunting, Williams turned his attention to urban foxes, who were often killed due to misunderstandings and myths. “People still believe foxes will bite babies, eat pets, or steal your husband,” he jokes. What started as an awareness campaign now rescues around 1,400 foxes annually — including 400 cubs, though only half survive to release. City Life: Both a Buffet and a Battlefield London is home to roughly 15,000 foxes. The Fox Project covers parts of South London and nearby suburbs, while other groups serve different areas. Urban foxes feed on everything from bugs and rodents to human leftovers, becoming reliant on handouts. But city living brings hazards — cars, soccer nets, tight gaps, and mange infections are constant threats. Townsend drives her VW Caddy through the city and countryside, answering calls about sick or injured foxes, including orphaned cubs. Her first rescue attempt, two and a half years ago, didn’t go as planned: the injured fox she approached simply ran away. “Inexperienced as I was, I chased him,” she laughs. “He was gone in seconds, and I looked ridiculous.” Despite such setbacks — and even once rescuing a fox stuck upside-down in a fence — she’s only been bitten once. Heartbreak and Hope Her van often smells strongly of foxes — especially when nervous cubs have accidents during transport. Townsend is used to it. “You can open a window if you want,” she says with a smile. “This job gets smelly.” On a recent call, she met a couple who found a wounded cub in their garden. At first, they thought it was just sleeping. “But when he didn’t move, we knew something was wrong,” said Charlotte English. Unfortunately, that cub didn’t survive — nor did the adult fox Townsend picked up earlier that day. Surviving cubs are grouped in fives to socialize before being released into rural areas. Adults are typically returned to the neighborhoods they came from. No Thanks Required Released foxes aren’t tracked, so their long-term survival is uncertain. A 2016 study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science showed that rehabilitated foxes often roam far from their release sites, increasing their risk of harm. “There’s a knowledge gap,” says Bryony Tolhurst of the University of Brighton. “We assume they do well post-release, but that needs more scrutiny.” Despite the losses, Townsend finds joy in seeing healthy foxes return to the wild — especially the moments when a fox looks back. “People say they’re saying ‘thank you,’” she says. “But really, they’re just making sure we’re not following them.”

Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, which presents risks for those breathing it. The Midwest, Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. have “very unhealthy” air quality, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and experts say people should take precautions. What counts as bad air? The EPA's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better. Anything below 50 is classified as “healthy.” Fifty to 100 is “moderate" while 100-150 is unhealthy for “sensitive groups,” and anything above 150 is bad for everyone. The Air Quality Index was around 160 in many parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University of Buffalo's medical school. “If you have heart or lung problems, then you’ve got to be definitely more careful," Sethi said. "I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 (mask) or at least a dust mask.” Is my air unhealthy? Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe. The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist, air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings. The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program. “You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don’t cost all that much anymore,” he said. What if I have to go outside? For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi. Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution. “N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,” said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University’s Center for Climate and Health. “If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that’s the very best.” If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or somewhere else with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it’s good to take precautions. "If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you’re feeling short of breath, that’s definitely more concerning,” Sethi said. How do I make my air cleaner? Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors. Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, though you should make sure it's installed correctly. “If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it’s just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you’re doing most of your activities in,” said Stowell.

A hungry wild elephant caused havoc in a grocery store in Thailand on Monday when he strolled in from a nearby national park and helped himself to food on the shelves. Videos of the incident showed the huge male elephant, known as Plai Biang Lek, briefly stopping in front of the shop, located next to a main road near the Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand, before ducking his whole body inside, according to AP. The elephant stopped in front of the shop’s counter, calmly snatching and chomping snacks, and did not flinch as the national park workers tried to shoo him away. India’s ‘History Hunter’ on a mission to preserve the past for future generations The elephant later backed out of the shop still holding a bag of snacks with his trunk. He left little damage behind, except mud tracks on the floor and the ceiling of the shop. In a video posted on social media, Kamploy Kakaew, the shop owner, appeared amused as she described the moment the elephant rifled her shop. She said he ate about nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich and some dried bananas she had bought that morning.

A massive cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert blanketed most of the Caribbean on Monday in the biggest event of its kind this year as it heads toward the United States. The cloud extended some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from Jamaica to well past Barbados in the eastern Caribbean, and some 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) from the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern Caribbean down south to Trinidad and Tobago. “It’s very impressive,” said Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert with AccuWeather. The hazy skies unleashed sneezes, coughs and watery eyes across the Caribbean, with local forecasters warning that those with allergies, asthma and other conditions should remain indoors or wear face masks if outdoors. The dust concentration was high, at .55 aerosol optical depth, the highest amount so far this year, said Yidiana Zayas, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aerosol optical depth measures how much direct sunlight is prevented from reaching the ground by particles, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The plume is expected to hit Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi late this week and into the weekend, DaSilva said. Cliffside wonders elevate tourism in east China However, plumes usually lose most of their concentration in the eastern Caribbean, he noted. “Those islands tend to see more of an impact, more of a concentration where it can actually block out the sun a little bit at times,” he said. The dry and dusty air known as the Saharan Air Layer forms over the Sahara Desert in Africa and moves west across the Atlantic Ocean starting around April until about October, according to NOAA. It also prevents tropical waves from forming during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30. June and July usually have the highest dust concentration on average, with plumes traveling anywhere from 5,000 feet to 20,000 feet above the ground, DaSilva said. In Japan, Bobtail cats bring good fortune — and Nagasaki is full of them In June 2020, a record-breaking cloud of Sahara dust smothered the Caribbean. The size and concentration of the plume hadn’t been seen in half a century, prompting forecasters to nickname it the “Godzilla dust cloud.”

Old cameras, worn-out typewriters, vintage radios, and matchboxes once used to light illicit cigarettes — stepping into Aditya Vij’s New Delhi home feels like entering a portal to another time. In a world driven by fast-changing technology and artificial intelligence, Vij has turned his house into a living museum, each corner telling a story from history. An anthropologist by profession and a passionate collector by heart, he has spent decades gathering thousands of artifacts, many centuries old, carefully documenting their historical context and cultural relevance. For Vij, every item he rescues feels like a personal triumph over time’s erasure. “The greatest joy I feel is knowing I’ve managed to save a fragment of history,” he said, speaking from a room filled with vintage cameras and gramophones. The Thrill of the SearchAmong the oldest objects in his collection are fossilized remains of fish, snails, tadpoles, and plants — millions of years old. But what he’s most obsessed with are matchboxes. His fascination with them started when he was just eight years old, after spotting one on a walk with his father. Today, at 51, he owns over 22,000 of them. Some of these matchboxes date back more than 100 years and feature illustrations reflecting religious themes and political climates from their time. “It’s not just about owning these pieces — it’s the excitement of tracking them down that keeps me going,” Vij explained. He believes matchboxes, though small, carry rich cultural and historical narratives. Saving History, One Object at a TimeSometimes, his acquisitions happen purely by chance. Once, he noticed a scrap dealer about to smash an old radio. He rushed across the street and intervened just in time. The dealer planned to sell the radio for parts, but Vij persuaded him to sell it intact. That radio now sits proudly among his other artifacts. “Thirty seconds later and it would’ve been gone. Sometimes, all it takes is being alert and acting fast,” he said. Vij sees his mission as connecting past innovations to the future. He hopes to one day turn his home into a public museum, where young people can learn about bygone eras through the very tools and objects that shaped daily life. Without such efforts, he warns, these simple but meaningful items risk being forgotten forever amid the tide of modern technology. “What once was commonplace is now rare, fading into nostalgia and memory,” he reflected. Teaching the Next GenerationVij frequently receives requests from parents eager for their children to see how things once worked — from typewriters and film cameras to rotary phones, pressing irons, and lanterns. When children tell him they had never seen or heard of these objects before, it deepens his sense of urgency. “That’s when I realize how vital it is to preserve and share history,” he said. With technology advancing at breakneck speed, many items from Vij’s youth have disappeared in just a few decades. He believes that curating and archiving them is crucial. “I hope future generations come to value history — and play a role in keeping it alive,” he said.