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Opinion


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The Gaza Riviera

ISRAELIS do not see the images of skeletal corpses of Palestinian children who they have starved to death as a curse. They do not see the slain families they gun down at food hubs — designed not to deliver aid but lure starving Palestinians into a massive concentration camp in the south of Gaza in preparation for deportation — as a war crime. Israelis do not look at...

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Reconstructing killing through counter-forensics

ABU Sayed, a student activist at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was killed on July 16, 2024. The death became a flashpoint in what would grow into the July uprising. While the Awami League government, toppled in the uprising,  then claimed that Sayed had been killed with bricks and firearms by other protesters, video footage shared widely on social media...

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Promise of alternative education models

OVER the past few decades, education has undergone a profound transformation, shifting from rigid, traditional models to more flexible and inclusive approaches. Alternative education — which includes Montessori and Waldorf schools, homeschooling, online learning and experiential programs — is increasingly seen as a remedy for the limitations of conventional...

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From coordinators to cronies

YOU could almost hear the plastic of the television screen bending from the weight of it. Names. Three of them. Bright as blood under fluorescent lights. Allegations. Extortion. Corruption. One crore taka, just like that — enough to make you choke on your morning tea...

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Urgent call to confront genocide in Gaza

THE bronze sculpture by Marie Uchytilová, Memorial to the Children Victims of the War, depicting the 82 children of Lidice murdered at Chełmno in 1942, serves as a haunting reminder of the barbarity that defined the Nazi-led Lidice massacre. In reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazis razed the village of Lidice, executed its men, and deported its women and children to death camps...

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PhD rush and a failing academic vision

WHEN a new episode begins in Bangladesh, it often ends not in reform but in distortion. The story of higher education is no different. Public and private universities are said to be growing in number every few years. Yet in a country where even the four major autonomous public universities struggle to recruit talented and committed teachers, there is little...

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Caught in the frame

SMARTPHONES are now ubiquitous fixtures at emergencies and disasters. The moment something terrible happens, a bus crashes on a Dhaka highway, a school building erupts in flames, many bystanders reflexively raise their phones. Instead of rushing to help, some want to capture every horrifying detail for likes and shares...

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Challenges in climate policy implementation

BANGLADESH is known as one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of global climate change, but the country is moving fast from the vulnerability to a become climate-resilient society through various policy responses and climate actions at various levels. The country has formulated a set of policies, plans and strategies to address climate change through...

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A BSCIC estate in Rajshahi that veers off its goal, purpose

THIS is deplorable that the authorities have failed to address the issues that have rendered Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation Industrial Estate 2 in Rajshahi unattractive to entrepreneurs. Launched in July 2022 as a Tk 1.5 billion project, the estate was meant to create 10,000 jobs and stimulate small and medium enterprises in the region. It, however, remains...

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Sumud and children of Palestine

A NATION that maims, kills and starves men, women and children is unlikely to survive. Also, leaders of nations who have aided in those atrocities will likely face the same fate...

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Cost of politicising army

SUN Tzu’s The Art of War outlines three ways a ruler can bring misfortune upon the army (the word ‘army’ in modern context implies the military forces...

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Extreme heat threatens child growth

BANGLADESH has made significant progress in reducing childhood stunting over the past decade, thanks to improvements in healthcare, nutrition and public health initiatives. However, a new and silent threat is emerging that could jeopardise these hard-won gains: climate change. Recent research has highlighted a troubling link between extreme heat and stunted...

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Small farmers, big water choices

FOR millions of smallholder families, water remains a daily negotiation between hope and hardship. Whether tending boro rice on the dry soil of the Barind or collecting water for home use in flood-prone villages, such farmers balance survival against scarcity. Their water use reflects the resilience of rural Bangladesh and exposes systemic inefficiencies and an urgent need for smarter, equitable management...

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IMF and World Bank: legacy in flux

MULTILATERAL donors and lenders are international financial institutions that provide loans and other forms of financial assistance along with policy support for developing countries. The institutions, known as multilateral development banks, are...

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July: when sky broke open

THE July uprising in Bangladesh marked a dramatic rupture in the political landscape. At first glance, it signalled a resounding victory: the collapse of a long-entrenched fascist regime. Yet beneath the euphoria lies a more complex and unsettling reality...