Special Content
Referendum issue 'detached', all eyes on national elections
Nowadays most discussed issue in the country's political arena is the referendum. However, when trying to find an answer to the question of how much the common people know or are interested in this referendum, a different picture comes to the fore.
‘We have no muscle power, hunger strike is our only language of protest’
With tear stains dried beneath his eyes, his voice weak and strength fading, Tarique Rahman, General Secretary of the unregistered political party Amjonotar Dal, was seen sitting under the open sky in front of the Election Commission building in Dhaka, receiving saline. In a frail voice, he murmured, “We have no muscle power. That’s why the EC unjustly denied our party registration. I will continue protesting against this injustice until my death.”
Encroachment of roads, sidewalks causing heavy traffic
Most the roads, highways and even the sidewalk in Bogura city are experiencing heavy traffic congestion due to encroachment. One road after another is being illegally encroached and the highways have turned into parking zones. Buses and trucks are being parked in front of highway hotels, vehicle servicing centers and workshops day after day.
Turning off music for kids in the time of struggle
"Na, na, na, pakhitar buke jeno teer mero na/ Oke gaite dou/ or kontho theke gaan kero na/ or gaani je ful fotar prerona.... (Don't shoot an arrow at a bird, don’t stop her from singing as her song is the inspiration for the flowers to bloom)'
Unprecedented amendment to RPO heats up poll season
Some amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) were made before the 7th national elections. But the amendments made by the interim government this time are unprecedented. Especially, the amendments to Section 21 of the RPO, which were widely made by accepting the proposals of Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP and rejecting the proposals of some other parties including BNP, are making the election season hot. Several political parties, including the BNP, are angry over the cancellation of the long-standing alliance system of elections under a single party symbol.
Not an accident, rather a case of gross negligence leading to death
A year ago, a bearing pad first fell off from the metro rail structure in the Farmgate area. As there were no casualties then, the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) did not take the matter seriously. That negligence has now led to history repeating itself — another bearing pad has fallen in the same spot after a year, claiming the life of a young man. His wife has lost her husband, and their two children are now orphans. The government has fixed the compensation at just five lakh taka. To make matters worse, the inquiry committee formed to investigate the incident is headed by the former managing director of the same DMTCL — the very organisation whose irresponsibility caused this fatal disaster for the second time. Both these government decisions are nothing short of mockery towards the public and will only increase the risk of future accidents.
Bangladesh at a crossroads: Protect lives, not tobacco industry
Bangladesh has long stood as a pioneer in global public health, becoming one of the first nations to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). At the heart of this treaty lies Article 5.3, a powerful provision that recognizes a simple truth: the interests of the tobacco industry are fundamentally and irreconcilably opposed to public health. By signing this treaty, the government made a solemn pledge to protect its citizens from the devastating harm of tobacco and to keep policymaking free from industry interference. This was not a symbolic promise but a binding commitment to shield the nation from one of the most destructive commercial epidemics in human history.
People should see ponds, canals not as past, but as part of future
Once upon a time, Dhaka was a city of canals, ponds and rivers. Today, that aquatic network is disappearing under the pressure of encroachment and development. To the present generation, that image of Dhaka perhaps sounds like a tale, as most of its canals and ponds have now vanished into thin air. Journalist and writer Helemul Alam has been consistently working for over two decades on urban life, the environment and civic crises. His two recently published research-based books — “Oasis Lost to Urban Sprawl: An In-Depth Look into Dhaka’s Lost Ponds” and “Dhaka’s Canals on Their Dying Breath: An In-Depth Look at How the Capital's Waterways Are Being Choked” — have earned readers’ praise as significant documents of urban history and the environmental movement. Recently, on behalf of Views Bangladesh, General Secretary of the Urban Development Journalists Forum-Bangladesh (UDJFB) Faisal Khan interviewed him about his journalism, field research, childhood memories and commitment to protecting waterbodies in the capital.
Where lies the controversy over Machado's Nobel Peace Prize
Maria Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts to establish democracy in Venezuela and fight against authoritarianism. The Nobel Committee praised her courage and steadfastness, highlighting her significant role in uniting opposition political parties even in the face of political threats and dangers.
Poison in name of medicine: The invisible war of medical trade against humanity
The advancement of medical science has taken the world to an unprecedented height today. Human life expectancy has increased, methods of curing diseases have improved—but hidden behind this progress lies a cruel reality: medicine has now become a profitable business, and human beings have turned into laboratory subjects.