Tasneem Tayeb

Bangladesh’s Covid-19 cases are on the rise again. On July 27, the country registered the highest number of daily Covid-related deaths so far: 258.

They have endured horrific floggings and beatings in public, they have endured violence at home, their access to education and healthcare have been restricted, and they have even been stoned to death—not too long ago.

Dengue cases in the country are on the rise again—since June, there has been a surge in the number of dengue patients seeking treatment in various hospitals.

Abdul Matin, retired headmaster of Badshail High School, died at Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogura on Friday morning.

Covid-19 cases in the country are on the rise again. While infections had seen a drop in May with the infection rate coming down to 7.91 percent on the 29th of that month, the infection rates are back on an upward trajectory: as of June 21, 2021, it stands at an alarming 19.27 percent, as reported by this daily.

The Purbachal Residential Model Town, spanning around 6,227 acres of land, was supposed to have been an extension of Dhaka city—to support its growth momentum and accommodate its ever-growing population.

In the first 10 months of the outgoing fiscal year, Tk 14,459.40 crore of undisclosed wealth was legalised in the country—as reported by The Daily Star citing data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR)—which, the government says, will play a big role in kick-starting the economy by injecting cash flow amidst the pandemic-induced financial struggles.

As another proposed national budget (of Tk 603,681 crore) has been placed in the parliament amidst a global pandemic, the biggest concern for the government and all other stakeholders is how well it can be implemented, as there are many new challenges to tackle. The aspirations of the budget—especially the economic growth target of 7 percent—are already being viewed by many as ambitious, and we must keep in mind that the budget will not yield a positive result for the nation unless the government takes immediate measures to ensure its adequate and timely implementation.

In a historic move, the Irish parliament has passed a motion that condemns Israel’s “de facto annexation” of Palestinian territories, after the recent bombardment of Gaza by Israel. Ireland has become the first EU member state to pass such a motion.

May 21, 2021, Friday, 2 AM Israeli local time: an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, ending the recent 11-day Israeli bombardment of Gaza. All told, the attack on the besieged Palestinian strip claimed the lives of 248 Palestinians, including 66 children.

Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza strip continues.

As the sun was about to set over the Gaza horizon on May 10, 2021, the community would not have known what was to happen that night. But they are citizens of Gaza, and what did happen would not have taken them by surprise. Israeli bombardment overnight of the besieged strip has claimed the lives of 21 Palestinians, including nine children. As dawn broke, there was devastation and a fresh round of Israeli attacks killing another three people. By the time of writing this, at least 26 lives have been lost to Israeli attacks.

As the government rolls out a financial assistance scheme in the country to support the poor in the face of the economic fallout of the pandemic, the urban poor are finding themselves in a tight spot.

The 2021 West Bengal assembly polls have been a tussle for power between the centre and the state government.

Covid-19 has exposed the underbelly of Bangladesh’s inadequately equipped healthcare system, especially during the grimmer second wave.

With the assembly polls ongoing in West Bengal, the state—currently being ruled by the strong matriarch Mamata Banerjee—has turned into a battleground for Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the power at the centre, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

As Bangladesh started a new phase of lockdown on April 14, 2021—apparently a more stringent one—the country was faced with a grim milestone. On the first day of the Bengali New Year, the country recorded 96 deaths, the highest till then, since the pandemic hit the country.

Bangladesh has been under lockdown since 6am April 5, 2021. This is the first time the nation is under lockdown to curb the spiralling spike in Covid-19 cases.

Narendra Modi’s recent visit to mark 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence has been dominated by his narratives of shared ties between the two friendly neighbours,

Torture, forced disappearance, displacement, chemical attacks, butchery, loss of lives and limbs, death of family and friends, mass murder: the Syrian people have been through it all in the last 10 years.