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'When media outlets set ablaze, freedom of speech turns to ashes'
'When media outlets set ablaze, freedom of speech turns to ashes'

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by Hira Talukder

'When media outlets set ablaze, freedom of speech turns to ashes'

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the Inqilab Manchsuccumbed to his bullet injuries around 9:45 pm on Thursday while undergoing treatment in Singapore. Within moments of hearing this news, an angry crowd gathered at Shahbagh intersection in the capital. A section of them then moved towards Karwan Bazar. Upon arrival, they first vandalized and looted the office of Daily Prothom Alo and then that of the Daily Star on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. Later, both outlets were set on fire. During this time, the protesters attacked New Age Editor Nurul Kabir. When the attack began, journalists and staff of Prothom Alo quickly left premise to save their lives while journalists of the Daily Star took shelter on the roof. For the first time since their establishment, the publication of Prothom Alo and the Daily Star was suspended for a day, excluding the newspaper holiday. This incident tarnished the country's image all over the world. Freedom of the media has been called into question. According to prominent figures, the incident of setting fire to the offices of the country's two leading newspapers amounts to strangling the freedom of speech of the people of the country. In fact, they say that when the media is burned, freedom of speech is reduced to ashes.

Taiwan crisis: Battle cries at heart of silicon industry
Taiwan crisis: Battle cries at heart of silicon industry

ICT

by Mahmud Hossain

Taiwan crisis: Battle cries at heart of silicon industry

It was July 2021. The world was in the throes of a severe chip crisis. At such a time, an analyst asked Mark Liu, chairman of TSMC, the center of the technology world, a strange question: "Aren't your customers worried when China threatens war with Taiwan?"

A colourless Victory Day in Bogura, memories of celebration being faded
A colourless Victory Day in Bogura, memories of celebration being faded

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by Masum Hossain

A colourless Victory Day in Bogura, memories of celebration being faded

For many residents of Bogura, this year’s Victory Day felt unusually muted. Abdus Salam, a local businessman, recalled the festive atmosphere of past celebrations while listening to patriotic songs on his phone. “Victory Day is no longer what it used to be,” he said. “The few arrangements we see today feel purely formal. Earlier, streets were filled with music and decorations, and the city was alive with celebration. Now everything seems dull.”

Village life during 1971
Village life during 1971

Article

by Afsan Chowdhury

Village life during 1971

[In 2002, Liberation War researcher Afsan Chowdhury started a history project called ‘Bangladesh 1971’. As part of this work, a four-volume book called ‘Bangladesh 1971’ was published in 2007. In 2013, another project called ‘Gramer Ekattor’ started. Based on the information from that project, he published a book titled ‘Gramer Ekattor’ in 2019. Inspired by the author’s ‘Gramer Ekattor’, Views Bangladesh brings its Victory Day event ‘How was the village life during the 1971 war?’]

Bangladesh: The dream of lonely charioteers
Bangladesh: The dream of lonely charioteers

Article

by Rahat Minhaz

Bangladesh: The dream of lonely charioteers

Jean Eugene Paul Kay was a 29-year-old young man from a wealthy family in France, one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. At that age, he was supposed to be busy with his profession, beloved, and his own life, or be drunk in all the famous French bars. But what a strange humanity, he hijacked a Pakistan International Airlines plane, risking his life. He joined the Bengali liberation struggle. This incident created a stir in France and the whole of Europe. When the mediator spoke to Jean Kay, he demanded that 20 tons of medicine and relief materials be sent for the Bengali refugees who had taken refuge in India! At one point in the hostage incident, the security guards shot him in the chest. He was seriously injured but survived. Later, when detailed information about the matter was published, the French government sent relief medicine for the Bengali refugees.

Guerrilla girl, Pakistani child, boatman's wife and bullet-hit Pakistani woman
Guerrilla girl, Pakistani child, boatman's wife and bullet-hit Pakistani woman

Article

by Maria Salam

Guerrilla girl, Pakistani child, boatman's wife and bullet-hit Pakistani woman

Bangladesh achieved its independence through a nine-month-long armed struggle. As in a people's war like the Liberation War, it was a war beyond the battlefield. Every person in the country, young and old, women and children, service holders and housewives, became a warrior. This is another war within the war, a daily battle for survival. The stories of that war have been lost and continue to be lost. This collection of memoirs by the heroic freedom fighter Kazi Ferdousi Haque Linu is an attempt to piece together these lost stories. The very stories are lost in the crowd of uncounted events.

Hadi assassination attempt raises concerns about electoral environment, security
Hadi assassination attempt raises concerns about electoral environment, security

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by Emranul Azim Chowdhury

Hadi assassination attempt raises concerns about electoral environment, security

The assassination attempt on Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and a prospective candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, has been carried out at a time when the much-needed poll schedule was just announced.  The incident has raised renewed concern, uncertainty and tension among the political leadership.

Bruised and battered Selina Parvin in shallow pit of abandoned brick kiln
Bruised and battered Selina Parvin in shallow pit of abandoned brick kiln

Article

by Rahat Minhaz

Bruised and battered Selina Parvin in shallow pit of abandoned brick kiln

The Rayerbazar area, located on the outskirts of Dhaka city, was once quite desolate. It was a low-lying wetland along the riverbank. During the dry season, several brick kilns operated in this area, which was commonly known to the people of Dhaka as “Itkhola” (brick kilns). In newly independent Bangladesh, the bodies of the nation’s finest sons were discovered in the shallow, circular pit resembling a pond of one such abandoned brick kiln. These bodies bore marks of extreme brutality—chests and backs riddled with bullets, hands tied behind their backs, fingernails uprooted, various limbs crushed, bodies perforated by gunfire, deep bayonet wounds, and half-decomposed remains. These were the bodies of enlightened individuals—freedom-loving Bengali professors, doctors, lawyers, journalists, and professionals from other walks of life.

From Corona pandemic to geopolitical challenges
From Corona pandemic to geopolitical challenges

ICT

by Mahmud Hossain

From Corona pandemic to geopolitical challenges

In early 2021, the then-US President Joe Biden called a special Zoom meeting at the White House. Addressing nineteen CEOs of the world's largest technology and manufacturing companies, he held up a twelve-inch-long silicon wafer. He said that unless America invested 'big and bold', it would fall behind in global competition. So 'we have to play the game harder'.

Crucial day for Bangladesh on the eve of Independence
Crucial day for Bangladesh on the eve of Independence

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by VB Desk

Crucial day for Bangladesh on the eve of Independence

December 13, 1971, was an exciting, crisis-ridden and at the same time hopeful day in the last chapter of Bangladesh's Liberation War. The Pakistani occupying forces were disoriented by the gradual advance of the combined Liberation Army and the Indian allies from all sides. Several events marked this day in history, which accelerated the birth of the Independent Bangladesh.

Rape case trials: The endless waiting for Justice
Rape case trials: The endless waiting for Justice

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by Hira Talukder

Rape case trials: The endless waiting for Justice

Due to the increase in rape and atrocities against women in the country, the Bangladesh Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (Nari-O-Shishu Nirjaton Daman Ain) was amended in 2020 to ensure the maximum punishment of death penalty. Five years have passed since then. Even the provision of the maximum punishment could not reduce the extreme atrocities like rape. Even though the cases related to rape are increasing, only a few judgements are being served.

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