Low levels of testing are hampering our Covid response
It has been more than a year since Covid-19 was first detected in Bangladesh. Much has been, and continues to be, said about the country’s handling of the pandemic.
28 April 2021, 18:00 PM
Can quarantine be a solution in a country like Bangladesh?
The words “quarantine” and “isolation” have now become synonymous with the coronavirus outbreak. Social media has exploded with status updates,
21 March 2020, 18:00 PM
Coronavirus and the dark side of globalisation
The coronavirus outbreak—which seems straight out of the sci-fi thriller Contagion—has led to over 7,989 deaths and 198,736 cases worldwide. As we try to make sense out of truths that seem stranger than fiction, the WHO-declared pandemic has laid bare the fact that in an era where globalisation reigns supreme, infectious diseases no longer simply pose the risk of transnational movement of bacterial and viral infections.
18 March 2020, 18:00 PM
Why focusing on ‘rural development’ is a must
Post-WWII, Bangladesh, along with countries which had been freed from the shackles of colonisation and had gained their independence, embarked upon the journey of “development”.
15 February 2020, 18:00 PM
A recipe for a public health disaster
Going by numerous recent news reports, we have good reason to be worried about the state of food safety in the country.
8 July 2019, 18:00 PM
Development for whom?
A particular finding in the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) blows the illusion of GDP growth being the “be all and end all” of development into smithereens.
23 May 2019, 18:00 PM
Waiting to be heard
Contrary to popular belief, it's not entitlement or narcissism or laziness that defines millennials. If anything, it's probably a sense of disillusionment that's a defining characteristic of this generation.
20 April 2019, 18:00 PM
How can we make our buildings safe?
Defiance of the BNBC stems from the ways that it can provide immediate benefit to owners and often the users and the developers of buildings. For example, rules are violated to achieve maximum use of space when land itself is costly.
3 April 2019, 18:00 PM
WHY THIS GLARING NEGLIGENCE?
What are the implications of the recent textbook fiasco? Will the changes in the textbooks foster an educational environment that promotes the analytical faculty of the mind, i.e. do we want youngsters to be able to think critically?
20 January 2017, 18:00 PM
Disturbing deviations in children's books
Over the recent backlash of the erroneous content and apparently mysterious changes to the curriculum, the education minister on January 10 stated during a press briefing, “I'm not avoiding my responsibility, but I'm leaving the matter to you whether handing over such a volume of textbooks is a bigger thing than these errors,” to which, the answer is an obvious yes.
20 January 2017, 18:00 PM
Dhaka's vanishing public spaces
With uncontrolled urbanisation (which essentially refers to a “population shift from rural to urban areas enabling cities and towns to grow”) innumerable issues related to the very liveability of Dhaka city have occupied the imagination of activists,
18 January 2017, 18:00 PM
The twin tragedies of Syria and Myanmar
While Alan and Mohammed hail from different countries, the circumstances which led to their premature deaths are very similar, and sadly, all too frequent. Both the Syrian war and the Rohingya tragedy see no end in sight.
6 January 2017, 18:00 PM
The limits of war images
Susan Sontag, novelist, essayist and critic, and one of the most intriguing figures of the 20th century, writes in On Photography, her seminal piece of work:
24 December 2016, 18:00 PM
Opinion: When women keep being denied justice
In no civilised society can criminals get away with what we saw occur on Pahela Baishakh in 2015. Given that law enforcers so miserably failed to prevent the sexual assault of women on that unfortunate day, they must leave no stone unturned in arresting and punishing the seven others who have been identified so far. That’s the least they can do.
21 December 2016, 11:22 AM
End of an era
Because of preconceived romanticised notions of the 'revolutionary intellectual', the role of traditional intellectuals who unflinchingly lent their support to government war efforts and propaganda is often overlooked. It is important to remember that the term 'intellectual' isn't synonymous with a 'force for good'.
14 December 2016, 18:26 PM
"For the state, child marriage is a blot of shame for human rights"
"We have to remember that human rights constitute the right to life, right to liberty, right to equality and right to dignity of a person. Cases of involuntary disappearance simply trample upon these basic rights."
9 December 2016, 18:00 PM
Myanmar’s new probe body is a sham
There is little doubt that the questionable homegrown commission is simply a tool to temporarily quell the backlash that Suu Kyi is facing as a result of her silence and inaction on the army crackdown in the northwest, resulting in at least 86 deaths and 10,000 fleeing to Bangladesh.
3 December 2016, 07:59 AM
A woman's right to a life of dignity
In 1960, three sisters, now famously known as the Mirabal sisters, were brutally assassinated on November 25 in Dominican Republic for their role in opposing the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
27 November 2016, 18:00 PM
Should Trump's win concern Bangladesh?
If there is one thing we have learnt from the US presidential elections this year, it's that polls, political commentary and predictions are of little significance.
19 November 2016, 18:00 PM
The case for stronger ties in South Asia
The historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 193 UN Member States has led governments to commit to implement national action plans geared towards fighting poverty, combating climate change, promoting inclusive economic growth,
8 October 2016, 18:00 PM
Waiting for a medal at the Olympics
Bangladesh, once again, returned empty-handed from the Olympics this year, retaining its title of the “most populous country of never
28 August 2016, 18:00 PM
We must stop singling out NSU
It has been three weeks into the carnage at Holey bakery and a lot has already been said and written in its aftermath but even so, we are now left with more questions than answers.
23 July 2016, 18:00 PM
Can justice ever be done to Tonu?
Justice for Tonu has taken social media by storm after the body of 19-year-old Tonu was recovered from Mainamati Cantonment area
26 March 2016, 18:00 PM
PAPERTREE
You probably haven't heard of PaperTree yet – the brand new online bookstore established just this year – but whether or not you are a bibliophile, you would want to check it out.
23 March 2016, 18:00 PM
Satire at the expense of a dead child?
If the whole point is to highlight the role of world leaders in creating and failing to manage the refugee crisis, why on earth isn't David Cameron, François Hollande, Viktor Orban or Bashar al-Assad being turned into a caricature?
17 January 2016, 18:00 PM
When rights go wrong
NOT only was 2015 filled with moments of national pride and joy but also moments of national tragedy and shame. Bangladesh was faced with some of the worst instances of violence against women, children and minorities in 2015.
31 December 2015, 18:00 PM
Freethinking and Islam, not an unlikely coalition
Today marks the 44th anniversary of the Pakistani army's systematic killing of pro-liberation Bengali intellectuals, of some of the brightest minds behind the political movement that fought for the very civil liberties that we, as Bangladeshis, now proudly claim to have.
13 December 2015, 18:00 PM
DIGITAL BAN IN DIGITAL BANGLADESH?
Had it not been for Facebook, where the video of Rajon being tortured at the hands of grown adults was released, the teenager's brutal murder would have never gained countrywide attention.
3 December 2015, 18:00 PM