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Eyewash!
In a sudden move, Myanmar has taken back five Rohingyas from no man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar, an event the international media has dubbed as the repatriation of first refugee family since the crisis began in August last year.
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How about reforming the viva system next?
There aren't many moments in my life as an ordinary writer where my writings on banning the quota system have gone in vain. I had come to my workplace in the morning and finished the piece in three hours.
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Quota, inertia and civic action
Bangladesh's youth have done it again. The cause they stood for was fair and just; they remained resolute in their stand and united against all odds. For years, they waited for the revision of archaic provisions of public services recruitment procedure that privileged less competent ones over the meritorious. Years passed by, governments changed, Public Service Commission leadership changed, recommendations of various committees and commissions that argued in favour of amendment fell on deaf ears, and finally, patience of the youth ran out.
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55,000 without fitness clearance
Over 55,000 vehicles, including 3,740 belonging to different ministries and government agencies, have not had their fitness certificates renewed for more than a decade in breach of rules, official data showed.
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Treatment cost too high to bear
Hasna Begum used to dream that one day her children would have higher education and do decent jobs. Her rickshaw puller husband toiled hard for the dream to come true.
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Traffic's trial with remotes
City authorities have tried out a host of “solutions” to control chaotic traffic over the decades. The result? All the money went down the drain and the situation turned from bad to worse.
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No negative reporting!
In an unprecedented move, directors of private commercial banks are now seeking protection from the government against what they say is negative reporting on the banking sector.
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Silencing Julian Assange
US based journalist Elizabeth Lea Vos, Editor-in-Chief of Disobedient Media, who was one of the panellists at an online vigil held for Assange hours after the imposition of the ban, talks to Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, about the latest restrictions placed on Assange and its implications for press freedom around the world.
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No country for Beauty
SOMETHING remarkable happened this week. Babul Mia of Habiganj—who had raped Beauty Akhter (16) earlier in the year—had her raped again and killed for not withdrawing the rape case pending against him, surprising no one.
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“To the people of Bangladesh”
Heroic and brave brothers and sisters of Independent Bangla Desh. In the name of your President, Bangla Bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Government of the People's Republic of Bangla Desh, we salute you and pay homage to the departed souls of the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in defence of their motherland. They will shine in our memory as long as Bangla Desh exists, as long as a single citizen
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Is Bangladesh headed for a prolonged Rohingya crisis?
Almost seven months into the latest round of influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh— around 700,000 have arrived since August 25 of last year—Myanmar has done next to nothing to show that it is serious about the implementation of the repatriation deal signed with Bangladesh and the safe return of the Rohingya.
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Sheikh Mujib as I found him
Like those of my age and experience, I can bear witness to some of the major developments in the recent political and constitutional
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Lessons of consent and critique from Ferdousi Priyabhashini
I woke up on March 6 and was devastated to hear that Ferdousi apa, Ferdousi Priyabhashini—the famous Bengali sculptor, survivor of wartime rape and a protagonist campaigning against it in Bangladesh—had passed away.
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A voice that still resonates
The Raju Bhashkorjo is dedicated to the memory of Moin Hossain Raju, an activist of Bangladesh Chatra Union, who was gunned down near where the sculpture now stands, on this day in 1992 while protesting terrorism in the name of student politics on campus.
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CCC office moving to building for poor
The Chittagong City Corporation took Tk 10,000 each from 33 families of a landslide-prone slum five years ago promising to relocate them to an apartment building. The construction of the seven-storey building was completed in 2016, but the flats have yet to be handed over to the families. Instead, the city corporation now wants to move its office to the block.
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ROHINGYA REFUGEES: $950m needed in next 10 months
The United Nations and the Bangladesh government have prepared a plan to provide an assistance of $950 million to the Rohingya refugees and the vulnerable locals in Cox's Bazar for 10 months until December. The move comes amid concerns that the repatriation of the refugees would take time.
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Celebrating a Braveheart
A tribute to artist and freedom fighter Ferdousi Priyabhashini on a day we celebrate women could not be more befitting except for the fact that it should have been a tribute to a living legend not a eulogy for a hero who is no more. She passed away on March 6. When one looks at the life of this incredibly brave and beautiful woman one cannot help but feel that we as a nation have failed miserably to pay our dues to this freedom fighter.
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JUTE DAY TODAY: Reality vs labour law
Every time he extends his hands to seek alms, Sohrab Hossain, 63, looks embarrassed. Begging has never been his livelihood; it is now.
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Rohingya Crisis: The UN failure makes reform call louder
Monday was another day of reckoning for the United Nations. As the UN chief and the UN high commissioner on human rights decried the mass violation of human rights, genocide and unjust wars raging all over the world from Syria to Myanmar to Congo, one thing came out even clearer -- the undemocratic character of the UN system has left the world an unsafe place for the weak.
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'Make question paper leaks redundant'
"Our examinations hardly test the students' creativity; these are geared more toward testing their memory. Take the MCQ system. It's a quick and snappy way to judge the proficiency of students in a particular topic," says Syed Manzoorul Islam.
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9 Years of BDR Carnage: Still waiting for justice
With the country observing the anniversary of the BDR mutiny today, victims' families are still waiting for the execution of the verdict in a case filed over the killings of their near and dear ones nine years ago.
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What is happening in Rangamati?
A lot has had happened since word spread that one Marma girl was allegedly raped, and another molested, by members of security forces last month. The claims led to a confusing chain of events involving state forces and rights activists which rapidly escalated the crisis. On one hand, a court ordered the girls to be handed over to the custody of their parents, against their wishes. On the other hand, the queen
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British Colonial Architecture in Bengal
This is why it is of greatest urgency now to preserve all old structures that are still standing today. These works should be documented as much as possible by historians who are researching on these regions.
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'Raped, Harassed' Marma Girls: Traceless after leaving hospital
The two Marma sisters, one of whom was allegedly raped and the other sexually assaulted by members of security forces last month, were handed over to their parents at Rangamati Sadar Hospital yesterday in presence of police.
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The superior choice
Last week, Bangladesh's Power Development Board (PDB) and India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) announced that they will form a committee to decide whether to build a large coal plant or solar farm in India for additional power import into Bangladesh.
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Nuclear Power: Challenging Rosatom's claims
Shevlyakov's piece is implicitly built on the assumption that the dissenting voice that exists in Bangladesh about nuclear energy is based on fear, and not scientific information. We want to assure him that our fear is historically and scientifically grounded.
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Why rubbish anything critical?
In what resembled a now-familiar Trumpian outburst, the finance minister binned a report of the Independent Review of Bangladesh's Development (IRBD), a review of the country's development produced by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
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Ivy's Poison
The pictures on the front page of practically every major newspaper on Wednesday, January 17, conjure an ugly image of Bangladesh's political scene.
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LGRD ministry holds the key
It appears the mayoral by-polls to the DNCC have become uncertain following yesterday's High Court stay order. But the legal complexity can be removed and the LGRD ministry holds the key.
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Walking the longest path with my favourite ghosts
It was a kind of trip, I was told, that required passion and precision, courage, physical fitness, and above all, strong resolve. To me, as much as to those who had signed up for the thrill of it, it seemed like a rodeo minus the horses.
