A Closer Look

Bangladesh’s Covid emergency needs to be recognised as one

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.
Modi spreads neighbourly love, but key challenges rumble on

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,
10 years on, the birds of prey circle over Syria

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.
Are Afghan peace talks stoking the targeted killing of journalists?

Mursal Wahidi, Sadia Sadat and Shahnaz Roafi were aged between 18 and 21 when they died. They were journalists, working at the dubbing wing of a privately-owned TV station called Enikas, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Inclusion of minorities can strengthen the movement

Myanmar is burning: with rage, with demonstrations, with the fierce determination of the civilians to end the newly imposed military rule.
Ill-planned, if planned at all!

On the face of it, it seems to be a logical move. An internal survey by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is said to have found only 200,000 of the about 600,000 rickshaws plying the DSCC areas suitable for operation.
Myanmar’s military-commercial complex

Myanmar’s mighty military overthrowing the country’s democratically elected government to take full control of power was a well-planned move.
In Yemen, peace remains as elusive as ever

Joe Biden’s recent announcement to pull out of the Yemen war comes as no surprise.
Myanmar Military Coup: Uncertainty looms over Rohingya repatriation

The United Nations has rightly expressed fears that the recent military coup in Myanmar would exacerbate the plight of the Rohingya still remaining in the country.
To move or not to move

For those who had expected a quick rapprochement initiative from the Biden administration with regard to Iran, especially a return to the 2015 landmark Iran nuclear deal, the recent comments by the new US top diplomat, Antony Blinken, may have perhaps been a little disappointing.
US designation of Houthis as terrorists: A wrong move at a wrong time

As the lights were about to go out on Trump presidency, the outgoing US administration made two major announcements about the Middle East—terming Iran a home for Al Qaeda, and designating the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as “terrorists”.
Pompeo’s Iran claims

A desperate Mike Pompeo unconvincingly claiming, “Al-Qaeda has a new home base.
Qatar Diplomatic Crisis: A warm embrace or just a photo op?

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warmly embracing Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar on January 5 at the Saudi Al Ula airport made for a picture-perfect scene of brotherhood.
Money without a trail

While Bangladesh’s economy has grown, the Swiss coffers of the super wealthy have easily outpaced and inevitably outgrown that growth.
Covid-19: How vaccine-ready are we?

With the grim reaper back for the second wave of Covid-19, people around the world are desperately looking for a shield.
Sexual violence is an emblem of patriarchy in the guise of tradition

A Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (Banbeis) report from last year suggests that in 2018, girls formed 54 percent of the total number of students at the secondary level.
Crisis of opportunities feeds Bangladesh’s human trafficking problem

We all aspire to “a better future”. While the idea of a better future and what it entails varies from people to people, dreamer to dreamer, what remains constant is the aspiration.
Have we forgotten the Bangladeshis trapped in Velika Kladusa?

If someone looks up Velika Kladusa on Pinterest, they’ll find lovely photos of the town and its beautiful landscape.
Journalism remains fraught with risks and persecution

For 45-year-old Ilias Hossain, there was nothing unusual about October 11—until things took a deadly turn.
The prodigal son’s return and the uncertain future of Lebanon

In a scene reminiscent of last year’s massive protests that had led to the downfall of Saad Hariri, Lebanon’s prodigal son, the streets of Beirut were filled with protestors on October 17, 2020.
Sexual violence and the misfortune of our children

Sexual violence against women, unfortunately, has always been a pressing concern for our society.
Rohingya: The people with no land

They were once the residents of Rakhine state. Then they became victims of persecution. Then they turned into refugees, desperately crossing the Naf river to seek refuge in Bangladesh.
Who cares what happens to the children of Yemen!

The world today is grappling with an unprecedented crisis. More than 900,000 people have already fallen to the scythe of the grim reaper and more are feared to become its victim as winter approaches.
Peace in the time of pandemic

In a time of an unprecedented global health crisis that is only spiralling from one peak to another, one would expect all parties—warring or not—to join hands and work together to establish peace.
The exodus of the helpless

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, the country’s flourishing economy had taken a hit. With the government-announced general holidays leading to closures of businesses, offices, educational institutions, shops, eateries, factories and other livelihood-generating opportunities—both formal and informal—life came to a halt in the nation.
PK Halder and the incredible landscape of our financial system

Prashanta Kumar Halder’s financial misadventures and subsequent escape from the country with Tk 3500 crore, which made the headlines recently, has brought into the fore Bangladesh’s struggles with systemic irregularities in its financial sector.
Delinquent youths of a delinquent society

Children, like adults, can get embroiled in conflicts with the law. When juveniles commit criminal offences, they are placed in Juvenile Development Centres (JDC) rather than jails, where constructive counselling is supposed to be provided so that they realise their mistakes and come out of these centres better human beings. The reality of these JDCs, as perhaps one would expect, is pretty different.
Our heritage sites need our help to stem the ravages of time and negligence

The dilapidated condition of the lonely ruins scattered across the country can be attributed to many reasons.
A tale of a tragedy and a farce

For the people of Lebanon, it was business as usual on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Post-Eid holidays, the desperate people—struggling to feed themselves and their loved ones—were out in search of livelihood and subsistence. As the day neared its end, little did they know that it was going to be the last for many of them.
How do we address human trafficking during a pandemic?

Bangladesh has recently been rocked by several international human trafficking scandals, one of them involving a lawmaker trafficking individuals to Kuwait.