We must embrace diversity for inclusive prosperity
The space for tolerance is shrinking in most parts of the world. From major conflicts to the more subtle acts of discrimination, minority groups, refugees and marginalised communities are facing persecution and suppression in many forms, shapes and scales.
15 November 2021, 18:00 PM
Why the lax attitude in bringing traffickers to justice?
Human trafficking continues to plague Bangladesh. As recently as October this year, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 11 traffickers belonging to two rackets—one of them being “Dance Club.”
9 November 2021, 18:00 PM
Where to draw the line between free speech and hate speech?
On a cold winter day in February 2020, BJP leader and turncoat politician Kapil Mishra tweeted a video, asking his followers to “prevent another Shaheen Bagh,” referring to the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 demonstrations that were being held in Shaheen Bagh of Delhi since December 15, 2019.
2 November 2021, 18:00 PM
To understand communal violence, we must dig deeper
Communal tensions in Bangladesh have recently escalated to an alarming level.
24 October 2021, 18:00 PM
Regional efforts needed to end Afghanistan’s woes
The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) is emerging as a major threat to peace in Afghanistan, proving the Taliban’s previous judgement of their capabilities wrong.
18 October 2021, 18:00 PM
Pandora Papers: What does it reveal about the shadow economy?
The biggest journalistic partnership in history—consisting of more than 600 journalists from 150 media outlets, including the BBC, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Radio France and Indian Express, among others—has recently exposed the financial misadventures of 35 prominent world leaders, more than 330 politicians and influential public office holders, from 91 countries and territories.
9 October 2021, 18:00 PM
Covered drains and safe walkways: Is that too much to ask for?
Sehrin Mahbub Sadia, 19, was returning home with her grandfather and uncle on the night of September 27. A first-year Honours student at a local university of Chattogram,
6 October 2021, 18:00 PM
Who will speak for the Rohingya refugees now?
Mohib Ullah and his family walked for eight days before they could reach Bangladesh. The former Rakhine state schoolteacher lived, lived amidst constant death threats for a week, when the Tatmadaw unleashed their scorched-earth campaign to wipe out the existence of the Rohingya from Myanmar in 2017.
2 October 2021, 18:00 PM
When development is force-fed
A city corporation taking measures to widen roads and footpaths and improve the drainage system should ideally be good news for the locals.
28 September 2021, 18:00 PM
Where has all the money gone?
Evaly was known for its mega discounts and 150 percent cashback offers. The company—once the second-largest e-commerce platform in Bangladesh—is now recognised as a front for a massive Ponzi scheme, which lured unsuspecting customers in with promises that were impossible to keep.
23 September 2021, 18:00 PM
The shaky roots of democracy revealed by a pandemic
Covid-19 has accelerated the pace of change around the world. From the way we live and work to the way we think and act—everything has gone through dramatic change due to the ongoing pandemic.
14 September 2021, 18:00 PM
We need a solid Covid-19 management plan
Bangladesh’s second special mass vaccination drive at the city corporation levels was held from September 7 to 9.
12 September 2021, 18:00 PM
Vaccinating children is a nice gesture but a bad plan
As the world races to achieve immunity from Covid-19 with effective vaccination drives, immunisation campaigns are in progress in Bangladesh as well—albeit with some hiccups.
8 September 2021, 18:00 PM
Positive discrimination needed to protect women’s rights
Women face discrimination every hour of every day, in various forms. From a greater lack of access to equal opportunity and payment in workplace, educational institutions, social discourses and household decision-making, to the more specific instances of intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, sexual violence and an apathetic lack of acknowledgement for caregiving and household contributions—women are undermined in every sphere of life.
2 September 2021, 18:00 PM
Twin blasts in Kabul: A crisis made in security vacuum in Afghanistan
With the day coming to an end on Thursday, desperate Afghan citizens waiting at the Kabul airport for a safe passage to the US had hoped for a respite from the stifling heat.
27 August 2021, 18:00 PM
Four years on, no end in sight to the plight of the Rohingya
In the wee hours of August 25, 2017, a group of militants—the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)—attacked around 30 police posts in the north of Rakhine State, Myanmar.
24 August 2021, 18:00 PM
Kabul falls. What’s next?
November 13, 2001: A victorious United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, popularly known as the Afghan Northern Alliance—an anti-Taliban joint military front—entered Kabul supported by the US-launched Operation Enduring Freedom, as the Taliban fled the Afghan capital.
16 August 2021, 18:00 PM
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who are we laughing at?
Some of us are born entertainers. It can be a boon or a curse, as the fallen star Pori Moni is now finding out. Even in her darkest hour, she has her audience held in rapt attention. People are keenly waiting to know what happens next. Every tiny detail is gratefully accepted, and summarily dissected.
13 August 2021, 18:00 PM
The hasty retreat of its western allies leaves Afghanistan in a deeper hole
Afghanistan is turning into a bloody mess. With the United States withdrawing its troops from the nation—a move seen by many as premature and not well-meditated—and the Taliban gaining ground at breakneck speed, the situation in the war-ravaged country is taking a turn for the worse.
11 August 2021, 18:00 PM
What Taliban resurgence means for the region
Nazar Mohammad, popularly known as Khasha Zwan, was an Afghan comedian.
3 August 2021, 18:00 PM