A Closer Look

A Closer Look

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists / A moment for self-reflection

Journalists today must be both defenders of truth and advocates for change within the profession and in the wider society.

3w ago

Opinion / Unbridled corruption and a minister’s reckless comment

The ruling regime should focus less on talking and more on actions, to create a conducive environment that truly eliminates corruption.

4m ago

Civil war in Myanmar: Bangladesh should revisit its national security strategy

It is high time Bangladesh revised its national security strategy and worked in close collaboration with the other key regional players.

5m ago

Biman’s frustrating legacy of misadventures

That Biman is a highly corrupt institution that thrives on shameless plundering of public money is no secret.

5m ago

FY2024-25 Budget / Whitening black money, raising taxes won’t fix our economic ails

These measures are a slap in the face of honest taxpayers who diligently pay taxes on their legitimate income every year.

5m ago

Children must be protected from abuse and torture

We have become a society in which children have become a tool to satiate the filthy desires of the stronger

6m ago

How are electrolyte drinks regulated in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has recently sued the owners of seven companies for selling five popular brands of electrolyte drink without necessary approvals.

6m ago

Dhaka's toxic air: An invisible killer on the loose

Dhaka's air did not become unbreathable overnight, nor is there any instant solution to it.

6m ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

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.

3y ago

What Taliban resurgence means for the region

Nazar Mohammad, popularly known as Khasha Zwan, was an Afghan comedian.

3y ago